Efficacy and safety of Adalimumab in treating pediatric Crohn′s disease / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Adalimumab(ADA) in the treatment of pediatric Crohn′s disease (CD).Methods:The clinical data of 20 CD patients treated with ADA at Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from September 2016 to September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.The disease activity status and mucosal inflammation in CD patients were evaluated using the Pediatric Crohn′s Disease Activity Index (PCDAI) and Crohn′s Disease Endoscopic Severity Index(CDEIS). Data were compared between groups using the rank sum test or Fisher′ s exact test. Results:A total of 20 CD patients were recruited, including 12 males and 8 females.The mean age at diagnosis of CD was (9.5 ± 4.9) years old, ranging from 0.9-15.1 years old.The mean age of the first use of ADA was (10.4 ± 4.8) years old, ranging from 1.2-16.7 years old.The median duration of CD symptoms before ADA treatment was 0.9 (0.4, 1.7) years.The mean PCDAI score of 20 CD patients before ADA treatment was (28.5±19.8) points (range 0-65.0 points). Of the 20 cases, 8 cases (40.0%) had severe disease activity, and 4 cases (20.0%) were in remission.A total of 15 CD patients underwent CDEIS assessment.The results showed that 9 patients had moderate to severe disease activity, and the symptoms were improved in 1 case under endoscopy.Ten patients (10/20 cases, 50.0%) received Infliximab (IFX) treatment preceding ADA treatment.IFX discontinuation was due to the loss of response(8/10 cases, 80.0%) and allergic reactions (2/10 patients, 20.0%). After 6 weeks of ADA treatment, the median PCDAI score of the 20 CD patients was 5.0 (0, 10.0) points, which was significantly lower than that before ADA treatment ( P<0.001). The clinical remission rate and clinical response rate of 16 patients with active CD treated with ADA for 6 weeks were 62.5% (10/16 cases) and 87.5% (14/16 cases), respectively.There were no significant differences in the clinical remission rate and clinical response rate between the patients who did not receive IFX and those who had previously received IFX(all P> 0.05). The median ADA treatment period was 5.5 (2.6, 17.8) months.During the follow-up period, 6 patients (6/20 cases, 30.0%) suffered from clinical recurrence of CD.At the end of the follow-up visit, seventeen patients(17/20 cases, 85.0%) maintained clinical remission, one had primary non-response and two experienced secondary non-response.Adverse events were reported in 7 patients, mainly including pneumonia (4 cases) or upper respiratory tract infection (2 cases). No tumor or other serious adverse events were recorded. Conclusions:ADA has good efficacy in inducing and maintaining clinical remission in pediatric CD patients, and does not cause serious adverse events.