Early thiopurine maintenance is associated with reduced proximal disease progression and colectomy rate in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Thiopurines effectively maintain remission in ulcerative colitis patients. Whether early initiation of thiopurines after ulcerative colitis diagnosis decreases proximal disease progression and colectomy rates is not known. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study of ulcerative colitis subjects recruited from 1970 to 2009. Early thiopurine maintenance was defined as commencement of azathioprine or mercaptopurine within 5 years of diagnosis and maintenance for at least 6 months. Propensity score matching was conducted to correct for confounders influencing early thiopurine introduction. Outcomes of interest were colectomy rate and endoscopic proximal disease extension. RESULTS: 982 consecutive ulcerative colitis subjects (12 879 patient-years) were recruited with 116 requiring colectomy. Thiopurines initiation and maintenance increased over time with median time to thiopurine commencement decreasing from 23 years in the first decade to 2 years in the last decade (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that early thiopurine maintenance significantly decreased the need for colectomy [hazard ratio, 0.13; 95% confidence interval (CI):0.03-0.55; P = 0.006]. The number of subjects needed to be treated to reduce one colectomy at 5 and 10 years was 18 (95% CI, 16- 36) and 12 (95% CI, 11-25). After propensity score matching, early thiopurine maintenance was significantly associated with decreased colectomy (hazard ratio, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.03-0.43; P = 0.002) and proximal progression of disease extent (hazard ratio, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.10-0.78; P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: Early thiopurine maintenance for >6 months is significantly associated with reduced colectomy and proximal progression of disease extent in ulcerative colitis.

High prevalence of Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis among older people in Sydney.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the age-standardised prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a metropolitan area of Sydney, with a focus on its prevalence among older people. DESIGN, SETTING: Population-based epidemiological study of people with IBD in the City of Canada Bay, a local government area in the inner west of Sydney, during 1 March 2016 - 10 November 2016. PARTICIPANTS: Patients diagnosed with confirmed IBD according to the Copenhagen or revised Porto criteria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Crude prevalence of IBD, including Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis; age-standardised prevalence of IBD, based on the World Health Organization standard population; prevalence rates among people aged 65 years or more. RESULTS: The median age of 364 people with IBD was 47 years (IQR, 34-62 years); 185 were women (50.8%). The crude IBD prevalence rate was 414 cases (95% CI, 371-456 cases) per 100 000 population; the age-standardised rate was 348 cases (95% CI, 312-385 cases) per 100 000 population. The age-standardised rate for Crohn disease was 166 cases (95% CI, 141-192 cases) per 100 000 population; for ulcerative colitis, 148 cases (95% CI, 124-171 cases) per 100 000 population. The IBD prevalence rate in people aged 65 years or more was 612 cases (95% CI, 564-660 cases) per 100 000, and for those aged 85 years or more, 891 cases (95% CI, 833-949 cases) per 100 000; for people under 65, the rate was 380 cases (95% CI, 342-418 cases) per 100 000. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the prevalence of confirmed IBD in a metropolitan sample was highest among older people. Challenges for managing older patients with IBD include higher rates of comorbid conditions, polypharmacy, and cognitive decline, and the immunosuppressive nature of standard therapies for IBD.

Utility of minimal preparation computed tomography colonography in detecting colorectal cancer in elderly and frail patients.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancers result in substantial morbidity and mortality to the Australian society each year. The usual investigation for bowel malignancy is optical colonoscopy (OC), with computed tomography colonography (CTC) used as an alternative investigation. The catharsis and colon insufflation associated with these investigations pose a higher risk in the elderly and frail. Risks include perforation, serum electrolyte disturbance and anaesthesia/sedation risks. Minimal preparation computed tomography colonography (MPCTC) eliminates these risks. AIMS: To audit the accuracy of a MPCTC programme for the investigation of colonic masses in symptomatic elderly and frail patients. METHODS: This paper audits a 6-year period of MPCTC in an Australian tertiary referral hospital. A total of 145 patients underwent MPCTC during the study period. RESULTS: There were seven true positives, two false positives and two false negatives. Analysis of this population indicates a sensitivity of 0.78 (95% CI 0.51-1.05), specificity of 0.99 (95% CI 0.97-1.01), positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.78 (95% CI 0.51-1.05) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.99 (95% CI 0.97-1.01). These findings are concordant with other published studies. CONCLUSIONS: This audit confirms that minimal preparation CT colonography is a reasonable alternative to OC and CTC in detecting colorectal cancer in symptomatic elderly and frail patients, without the procedural risks inherent in more invasive investigations. For most patients, MPCTC ruled out significant colorectal carcinoma with a high NPV.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Environmental Risk Factors: A Population-Based Case-Control Study of Middle Eastern Migration to Australia.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The incidences of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are increasing, indicating gene-environment interactions. Migrants from low-IBD-prevalence countries to a high-prevalence country may help identify the relative contribution of environmental risk factors compared with native Caucasians. METHODS: This prospective case-control study evaluated IBD environmental risk factors of Middle Eastern migrants (MEM) in Australia compared with matched Caucasian IBD subjects, MEM controls, Caucasian controls, and controls in the Middle East using adjusted odds ratios (aOR). RESULTS: A total of 795 subjects were recruited: 154 MEM cases (75 CD; 79 UC), 153 MEM controls, 162 Caucasian cases (85 CD; 77 UC), 173 Caucasian controls, and 153 controls in Lebanon. Smoking increased CD risk in MEM and Caucasians and reduced UC risk in Caucasians (aOR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.41-0.98) but not MEM (aOR, 1.45; 95% CI, 0.80-2.62). Antibiotic use reduced the risk of MEM CD (aOR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.11-0.67) and UC (aOR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.18-0.80), but increased the risk in Caucasians (CD: aOR, 5.24; 95% CI, 2.13-12.90; and UC: aOR, 6.82; 95% CI, 2.67-17.38). Most hygiene markers (rural dwelling, pet ownership, pet feeding, and farm animal contact) reduced CD and UC risk in MEM (P < .05). In contrast, in Caucasians these hygiene markers lacked significance. Other significant risk factors include IBD family history, appendectomy, tonsillectomy, and breastfeeding. CONCLUSIONS: Differential IBD environmental risk factors exist between migrants and native Caucasians, indicating a dynamic interplay between environmental factors and IBD risk for immigrants that is distinct to those factors most relevant in native Caucasians.

Cause-specific mortality and 30-year relative survival of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Data from the northern hemisphere suggest that patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) have similar survival to the general population, whereas mortality in Crohn's disease (CD) is increased by up to 50%. There is a paucity of data from the southern hemisphere, especially in Australia. METHODS: A prevalence cohort (1977-1992) of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnosed after 1970 was studied. Survival status data and causes of death up to December 2010 were extracted from the National Death Index. Relative survival analysis was carried out separately for men and women. RESULTS: Of 816 cases (384 men, 432 women; 373 CD, 401 UC, 42 indeterminate colitis), 211 (25.9%) had died by December 2010. Median follow-up was 22.2 years. Relative survival of all patients with IBD was not significantly different from the general population at 10, 20, and 30 years of follow-up. Separate analyses of survival in CD and UC also showed no differences from the general population. There was no difference in survival between patients diagnosed earlier (1971-1979) or later (1980-1992). At least 17% of the deaths were caused by IBD. Fatal cholangiocarcinomas were more common in IBD (P < 0.001), and fatal colorectal cancers more common in UC (P = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: In Australia, IBD patient survival is similar to the general population. In contrast to data from Europe and North America, survival in CD is not diminished in Australia. IBD caused direct mortality in 17%, especially as biliary and colorectal cancers are significant causes of death.

Beware of the Patient with Thymectomy: Good's Syndrome in a Patient Presenting with Diarrhea.

Good's syndrome is a rare cause of immunodeficiency in adults associated with thymoma. We describe an 80-year-old female with chronic diarrhea, multiple opportunistic infections, and cytopenias. She underwent a thymectomy 5 years ago for a thymoma. Laboratory tests revealed neutropenia, hypogammaglobulinaemia, complete B-cell lymphopenia, and low CD4 T cells with inverted CD4:CD8 ratio, which is consistent with Good's syndrome. We recommend checking immunoglobulin levels in all patients with a history of thymoma. Good's syndrome should be considered as a differential diagnosis if patients present with chronic diarrhea, cytopenias, or recurrent infections. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection should be considered in patients with immune deficiency as a cause of chronic diarrhea.