Crohn's Disease

Approximately one-third of patients who underwent either a biologic dose change or discontinuation did not undergo objective disease activity assessment or therapeutic drug monitoring before therapy was altered, according to data from Digestive Disease Week.

Cholecystectomy in patients with Crohn’s disease was associated with markers of disease activity and worse quality of life in a multi-year study, according to research from Digestive Disease Week.

Treatment with Stelara was associated with superior outcomes in patients with Crohn’s disease who previously failed anti-TNF therapy, according to study results.

This month’s cover story on pregnant women with inflammatory bowel disease covered all the relevant points. The important message is that the “enemy” here is not the medication — it’s the active Crohn’s disease or active ulcerative colitis. Treating the inflammation is of paramount importance, to maximize the chance of good pregnancy outcomes. The physicians interviewed said to develop a plan where you’re continuing the biologic throughout pregnancy. Trying to develop a plan to hold the drug in the last half of pregnancy makes things more complex, so it’s easier for patients and for providers to remember to just continue the biologic throughout pregnancy. There is a safety concern that if you do hold the biologic during the last half or last third of pregnancy, that will increase the risk for postpartum flare. The last thing a new mother needs is a flare of her IBD. It’s better all-around to just continue the medication. The main exceptions to this recommendation are methotrexate, which is totally contraindicated, and then to a lesser extent tofacitinib (Xeljanz, Pfizer) just because we don’t have enough data on it.

Inflammatory bowel disease is somewhat unique compared with other immune-mediated diseases. Its closest cousins, like rheumatoid arthritis, usually affect patients later in life.

Among patients with Crohn’s disease, combination testing of the endoscopic healing index and anti-tumor necrosis factor concentration may identify patients who benefit from dose escalation, according to data from Digestive Disease Week.

In this exclusive video, Anita Afzali, MD, from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, discusses data she presented for Digestive Disease Week from a survey that assessed patient and provider perspectives on the management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Sugar consumption appeared related to psychiatric comorbidities among patients with inflammatory bowel disease, according to research from Digestive Disease Week.

In value-based care programs, inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis may require more intense management compared with other chronic gastrointestinal conditions due to much higher cost volatility, according to data from DDW.

Administration of Remicade using a top-down approach was superior to step-up therapy in achieving clinical remission in children with Crohn’s disease, according to research from Digestive Disease Week.