Number of retained radiopaque markers on a colonic transit study does not correlate with symptom severity or quality of life in chronic constipation.

BACKGROUND: Ingestion of radiopaque markers (ROM) is frequently used to determine colonic transit in chronic constipation. Although ≥20% of retained markers at 5 days defines slow-transit constipation, some clinicians use the number of retained markers to determine disease severity. METHODS: We assembled a cross-sectional cohort of patients presenting for evaluation of chronic constipation who underwent transit testing by ROM and completed validated symptom severity and quality-of-life (QOL) measures. We performed a correlation analysis to determine whether there was an association between number of retained markers and symptom severity and QOL. KEY RESULTS: Among 159 patients undergoing evaluation for chronic constipation, there was poor correlation between the number of retained markers and symptom severity (R = .09, P = .25) and QOL. Among the 55 patients with slow-transit constipation defined by ≥5 retained markers retained on day 5, there were similarly poor correlations between symptom severity (R = .17, P = .21) and QOL (R = .07, P = .60). Excluding patients with irritable bowel syndrome and outlet obstruction by balloon expulsion testing did not materially alter our results, nor did a multivariable analysis controlling for demographic and psychiatric confounders. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES: Among patients with chronic constipation, number of retained markers on a ROM colonic transit study does not correlate with measures of symptom severity or QOL. Clinicians should be cautious about overinterpreting ROM transit testing.

Systematic review with meta-analysis: breastfeeding and the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding is a modifiable factor that may influence development of inflammatory bowel diseases. However, literature on this has been inconsistent and not accounted for heterogeneity in populations and exposure. AIM: To conduct a meta-analysis to examine the association between breastfeeding in infancy and risk of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: A systematic search of Medline/PubMed and Embase was performed for full text, English-language literature through November 2016. Studies were included if they described breastfeeding in infancy in patients with CD or UC, and healthy controls. Data were pooled using a random effects model for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 35 studies were included in the final analysis, comprising 7536 individuals with CD, 7353 with UC and 330 222 controls. Ever being breastfed was associated with a lower risk of CD (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.59-0.85) and UC (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.67-0.91). While this inverse association was observed in all ethnicity groups, the magnitude of protection was significantly greater among Asians (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.20-0.48) compared to Caucasians (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.66-0.93; P = .0001) in CD. Breastfeeding duration showed a dose-dependent association, with strongest decrease in risk when breastfed for at least 12 months for CD (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.08-0.50) and UC (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.10-0.43) as compared to 3 or 6 months. CONCLUSION: Breastfeeding in infancy protects against the development of CD and ulcerative colitis.

Systematic review with meta-analysis: enteral nutrition therapy for the induction of remission in paediatric Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: Despite potential adverse-events in a paediatric population, corticosteroids are used to induce remission in paediatric Crohn's disease. Exclusive enteral nutrition also induces remission, but is infrequently used in the USA because corticosteroids are considered the superior therapy. New data have become available since the publication of the most recent meta-analysis in 2007. AIM: To see if current literature supports the use of EEN versus CS in paediatric populations. METHODS: All studies with comparator arms of exclusive enteral nutrition and an exclusive corticosteroids, with remission clearly defined were identified by searching eight online databases. RESULTS: Of 2795 identified sources, nine studies met our inclusion criteria. Eight of these (n = 451), had data that could be abstracted into our meta-analysis. Exclusive enteral nutrition was as effective as corticosteroids in inducing remission (OR = 1.26 [95% CI 0.77, 2.05]) in paediatric Crohn's disease. There was no difference between Exclusive enteral nutrition and corticosteroids efficacy when comparing newly diagnosed Crohn's (OR = 1.61 [95% CI .87, 2.98]) or relapsed (OR = 0.76 [95% CI .29-1.98]). Intestinal healing was significantly more likely among patients receiving Exclusive enteral nutrition compared to corticosteroids (OR = 4.5 [95% CI 1.64, 12.32]). There was no difference in the frequency of biomarker normalisation including CRP (OR = 0.85 [95% CI .44, 1.67]) and faecal calprotectin (OR 2.79 [95% CI .79-10.90]). CONCLUSIONS: There is no difference in efficacy between exclusive enteral nutrition and corticosteroids in induction of remission in Crohn's disease in a paediatric population. Exploratory analyses suggest that a greater proportion of patients treated with exclusive enteral nutrition achieved mucosal healing.

The benefit of combination therapy depends on disease phenotype and duration in Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: The impact of combination therapy on disease-related morbidity in patients with established Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) remains to be well-defined. AIM: To examine the effect of combination therapy on disease outcomes in CD and UC. METHODS: Using a multicenter prospective cohort, we classified CD and UC patients as being on monotherapy with anti-TNF or on combination with an immunomodulator. The primary outcome was a composite of new IBD-related surgery, hospitalisations, penetrating complications, need for corticosteroids or new biological at 1 year. Multivariable regression models adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: We included 707 patients with CD (45% combination therapy) and 164 with UC (38% combination therapy). Combination therapy was not associated with reduction in the composite outcome in either CD (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.63-1.22) or UC (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 0.63-3.38). However, while no difference was noted in those with nonstricturing, nonpenetrating CD, a significant reduction in the likelihood of the outcome was seen in those with stricturing or penetrating CD (30% vs 39%, OR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.37-0.90). A stronger effect was also observed in those with disease duration <5 years (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.14-0.87) compared to those with a longer duration (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.45-1.27). A similar reduction in occurrence of composite outcome was noted with infliximab and with other anti-TNF biologics. CONCLUSION: The benefit of combination immunomodulator-biological therapy is stronger in those with complicated Crohn's disease, particularly early on in their disease course.

Systematic review with meta-analysis: comparative efficacy of biologics for induction and maintenance of mucosal healing in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Mucosal healing is an important therapeutic endpoint in the management of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Limited data exist regarding the comparative efficacy of various therapies in achieving this outcome. AIM: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of biologics for induction and maintenance of mucosal healing in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT) examining mucosal healing as an endpoint of immunosuppressives, anti-tumour necrosis factor α (anti-TNF) or anti-integrin monoclonal antibody therapy for moderate-to-severe CD or UC. Pooled effect sizes for induction and maintenance of mucosal healing were calculated and pairwise treatment comparisons evaluated using a Bayesian network meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 12 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis (CD - 2 induction, 4 maintenance; UC - 8 induction, 5 maintenance). Duration of follow-up was 6-12 weeks for induction and 32-54 weeks for maintenance trials. In CD, anti-TNFs were more effective than placebo for maintaining mucosal healing [28% vs. 1%, Odds ratio (OR) 19.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.51-110.84]. In UC, anti-TNFs and anti-integrins were more effective than placebo for inducing (45% vs. 30%) and maintaining mucosal healing (33% vs. 18%). In network analysis, adalimumab therapy was inferior to infliximab [OR 0.45, 95% credible interval (CrI) 0.25-0.82] and combination infliximab-azathioprine (OR 0.32, 95% CrI 0.12-0.84) for inducing mucosal healing in UC. There was no statistically significant pairwise difference between vedolizumab and anti-TNF agents in UC. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-TNF and anti-integrin biological agents are effective in inducing mucosal healing in UC, with adalimumab being inferior to infliximab or combination therapy. Infliximab and adalimumab were similar in CD.

The impact of co-existing immune-mediated diseases on phenotype and outcomes in inflammatory bowel diseases.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel diseases lead to progressive bowel damage and need for surgery. While the increase in prevalence of other immune-mediated diseases in IBD is well recognised, the impact of this on the natural history of IBD is unknown. AIM: To determine the impact of concomitant immune-mediated diseases on phenotypes and outcomes in IBD. METHODS: Patients with IBD enrolled in a prospective registry were queried about the presence of other immune-mediated diseases, defined as those where immune dysregulation plays a role in pathogenesis. Demographics and disease-related information were obtained. Subjects also completed measures of quality of life. Multivariable regression models compared disease phenotype and outcomes of IBD patients with and without other immune-mediated diseases. RESULTS: The cohort included 2145 IBD patients among whom 458 (21%) had another immune-mediated disease. There was no difference in CD phenotype between the two groups. UC patients were more likely to have pancolitis in the presence of another immune-mediated disease (62%) compared to those without (52%, P = 0.02). IBD patients with another immune-mediated disease had higher rates of needing anti-TNF biologics [Odds ratio (OR) 1.31, 95% CI 1.05-1.63] and surgery (OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.99-1.61). The presence of another immune-mediated disease was also associated with lower disease-specific and general physical quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of another immune-mediated disease in IBD patients was associated with higher likelihood of pancolonic involvement in UC, and a modest increase in need for IBD-related surgery and anti-TNF biological therapy. Such patients also experienced worse quality of life.

Systematic review with meta-analysis: comparative efficacy of immunosuppressants and biologics for reducing hospitalisation and surgery in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

INTRODUCTION: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) have a progressive course leading to hospitalisation and surgery. The ability of existing therapies to alter disease course is not clearly defined. AIM: To investigate the comparative efficacy of currently available inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therapies to reduce hospitalisation and surgery. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review in MEDLINE/PubMed for randomised controlled trials (RCT) published between January 1980 and May 2016 examining efficacy of biological or immunomodulator therapy in IBD. We performed direct comparisons of pooled proportions of hospitalisation and surgery. Pair-wise comparisons using a random-effects Bayesian network meta-analysis were performed to assess comparative efficacy of different treatments. RESULTS: We identified seven randomised controlled trials (5 CD; 2 UC) comparing three biologics and one immunomodulator with placebo. In CD, anti-TNF biologics significantly reduced hospitalisation [Odds ratio (OR) 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-0.60] and surgery (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.13-0.42) compared to placebo. No statistically significant reduction was noted with azathioprine or vedolizumab. Azathioprine was inferior to both infliximab and adalimumab in preventing CD-related hospitalisation (>97.5% probability). Anti-TNF biologics significantly reduced hospitalisation (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.29-0.80) and surgery (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.46-0.97) in UC. There were no statistically significant differences in the pair-wise comparisons between active treatments. CONCLUSIONS: In CD and UC, anti-TNF biologics are efficacious in reducing the odds of hospitalisation by half and surgery by 33-77%. Azathioprine and vedolizumab were not associated with a similar improvement, but robust conclusions may be limited due to paucity of RCTs.

HBV/HIV coinfection is associated with poorer outcomes in hospitalized patients with HBV or HIV.

We examined the impact of HBV/HIV coinfection on outcomes in hospitalized patients compared to those with HBV or HIV monoinfection. Using the 2011 US Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we identified patients who had been hospitalized with HBV or HIV monoinfection or HBV/HIV coinfection using ICD-9-CM codes. We compared liver-related admissions between the three groups. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of in-hospital mortality, length of stay and total charges. A total of 72 584 discharges with HBV monoinfection, 133 880 discharges with HIV monoinfection and 8156 discharges with HBV/HIV coinfection were included. HBV/HIV coinfection was associated with higher mortality compared to HBV monoinfection (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.30-2.15) but not when compared to HIV monoinfection (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.96-1.54). However, the presence of HBV along with cirrhosis or complications of portal hypertension was associated with three times greater in-hospital mortality in patients with HIV compared to those without these complications (OR 3.00, 95% CI 1.80-5.02). Length of stay and total hospitalization charges were greater in the HBV-/HIV-coinfected group compared to the HBV monoinfection group (+1.53 days, P < 0.001; $17595, P < 0.001) and the HIV monoinfection group (+0.62 days, P = 0.034; $8840, P = 0.005). In conclusion, HBV/HIV coinfection is a risk factor for in-hospital mortality, particularly in liver-related admissions, compared to HBV monoinfection. Overall healthcare utilization from HBV/HIV coinfection is also higher than for either infection alone and higher than the national average for all hospitalizations, thus emphasizing the healthcare burden from these illnesses.

Discontinuity of care for mothers with chronic hepatitis B diagnosed during pregnancy.

Assiduous measures are taken to prevent perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) to infants; it is unclear whether the mothers receive appropriate care for their chronic HBV. We sought to assess the quality of HBV care in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers following pregnancy. HBsAg-positive women (n = 243) who had sought prenatal care at Massachusetts General Hospital were retrospectively identified and charts reviewed. The primary outcome was adherence to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines. Over one-third (37%) of women were first diagnosed with HBV infection at a prenatal visit. One-third (32%) did not undergo timely liver function test measurements. HBV DNA was never measured in 26% and was untimely in 34% of patients. One-third (34%) of the women were at high-risk for HCC based on AASLD criteria, yet only 33% of these women underwent timely imaging. Nearly half (49%) never saw a liver specialist for their HBV care. In multivariate analysis, women were 3.7 times more likely to have a timely ALT and 8.1 times more likely to have a timely HBV DNA if they were followed by a liver specialist (P = 0.001, <0.001). We demonstrate remarkably inadequate and discontinuous HBV care for chronically infected mothers following pregnancy. As HBV infection is already being identified prenatally, quality improvement measures encompassing obstetricians, primary care providers and hepatologists are needed to ensure that HBV-infected women are linked to care postpregnancy.

Clostridium difficile associated risk of death score (CARDS): a novel severity score to predict mortality among hospitalised patients with C. difficile infection.

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a public health threat and associated with significant mortality. However, there is a paucity of objectively derived CDI severity scoring systems to predict mortality. AIM: To develop a novel CDI risk score to predict mortality entitled: Clostridium difficile associated risk of death score (CARDS). METHODS: We obtained data from the United States 2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. All CDI-associated hospitalisations were identified using discharge codes (ICD-9-CM, 008.45). Multivariate logistic regression was utilised to identify independent predictors of mortality. Clostridium difficile associated risk of death score was calculated by assigning a numeric weight to each parameter based on their odds ratio in the final logistic model. Predictive properties of model discrimination were assessed using the c-statistic and validated in an independent sample using the 2010 NIS database. RESULTS: We identified 77 776 hospitalisations, yielding an estimate of 374 747 cases with an associated diagnosis of CDI in the US, 8% of whom died in the hospital. The eight severity score predictors were identified on multivariate analysis: age, cardiopulmonary disease, malignancy, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, acute renal failure, liver disease and ICU admission, with weights ranging from -1 (for diabetes) to 5 (for ICU admission). The overall risk score in the cohort ranged from 0 to 18. Mortality increased significantly as CARDS increased. CDI-associated mortality was 1.2% with a CARDS of 0 compared to 100% with CARDS of 18. The model performed equally well in our validation cohort. CONCLUSION: Clostridium difficile associated risk of death score is a promising simple severity score to predict mortality among those hospitalised with C. difficile infection.

Genetic basis of TNF-α antagonist associated psoriasis in inflammatory bowel diseases: a genotype-phenotype analysis.

BACKGROUND: Anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) biologic associated psoriasis has been reported in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. However, little is known regarding its pathogenesis. AIM: To identify potential genetic predispositions to anti-TNF associated psoriasis in IBD patients. METHODS: This retrospective chart review included IBD patients enrolled in a prospective registry. Cases of anti-TNF associated psoriasis and idiopathic psoriasis unrelated to anti-TNF exposure were confirmed by an expert dermatologist. All patients were genotyped on the Illumina Immunochip. A weighted genetic risk score ascertaining genetic pre-disposition towards psoriasis was calculated and overall genetic pre-disposition as well as differential distribution of individual polymorphisms was compared across the three groups. RESULTS: Our study included 724 IBD patients who initiated anti-TNF therapy and did not develop psoriasis, 35 patients with anti-TNF associated psoriasis, and 38 patients with idiopathic psoriasis. Anti-TNF users who developed psoriasis had a modest but statistically significantly greater psoriasis genetic risk score than anti-TNF controls (mean 0.64 vs. 0.61, P = 0.04), and had a similar genetic risk score as those with idiopathic psoriasis (0.64 vs. 0.62, P = 0.22). Two loci associated with NOS2 and ETS1 genes achieved P < 0.05 when comparing anti-TNF associated psoriasis to anti-TNF controls. Three loci were significantly different between anti-TNF associated psoriasis and idiopathic psoriasis including a polymorphism near NOS2 encoding for inducible nitric oxide synthase that is produced by dendritic cells in skin lesions in psoriasis. CONCLUSION: Patients with anti-TNF associated psoriasis had a modestly greater genetic pre-disposition towards psoriasis but no single causative polymorphism was identified.

Adjuvant use of antibiotics with corticosteroids in inflammatory bowel disease exacerbations requiring hospitalisation: a retrospective cohort study and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients hospitalised with an exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often receive antibiotics in addition to intravenous steroids. However, their efficacy in this setting is unclear. AIM: To ascertain if the addition of antibiotics to intravenous steroids modifies short and long-term clinical outcomes. METHODS: Our study included IBD patients hospitalised between 2009 and 2014 who received intravenous (IV) steroids with or without adjuvant antibiotics. Outcomes of interest included length of stay (LOS), need for medical and surgical rescue therapy during the hospitalisation, and at 90 and 365 days. A meta-analysis of previously published randomised trials was additionally performed. RESULTS: A total of 354 patients were included [145 ulcerative colitis (UC); 209 Crohn's disease (CD)]. In CD, combination of IV steroids and antibiotics did not change need for in-hospital medical rescue therapy, surgery or hospitalisations at 1 year but was associated with greater LOS (6.1 vs. 4.6 days, P = 0.02). In UC, patients receiving antibiotics were less likely to require in-hospital medical rescue therapy [odds ratio (OR): 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.19-0.93] but experienced no statistically significant differences in LOS, in-hospital surgery, re-hospitalisations or surgery by 1 year. A meta-analysis of three relevant randomised trials demonstrated no difference in clinical improvement with antibiotics over placebo (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.50-2.32). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of antibiotics to intravenous steroids for treatment of IBD exacerbations was associated with a reduced need for in-hospital medical rescue therapy in ulcerative colitis without significant long-term benefit, and did not affect short- or long-term outcomes in Crohn's disease.

Resting anal pressure, not outlet obstruction or transit, predicts healthcare utilization in chronic constipation: a retrospective cohort analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic constipation is common and exerts a considerable burden on health-related quality of life and healthcare resource utilization. Anorectal manometry (ARM) and colonic transit testing have allowed classification of subtypes of constipation, raising promise of targeted treatments. There has been limited study of the correlation between physiological parameters and healthcare utilization. METHODS: All patients undergoing ARM and colonic transit testing for chronic constipation at two tertiary care centers from 2000 to 2014 were included in this retrospective study. Our primary outcomes included number of constipation-related and gastroenterology visits per year. Multivariate linear regression adjusting for confounders defined independent effect of measures of colonic and anorectal function on healthcare utilization. KEY RESULTS: Our study included 612 patients with chronic constipation. More than 50% (n = 333) of patients had outlet obstruction by means of balloon expulsion testing and 43.5% (n = 266) had slow colonic transit. On unadjusted analysis, outlet obstruction (1.98 vs 1.68), slow transit (2.40 vs 2.07) and high resting anal pressure (2.16 vs 1.76) were all associated with greater constipation-related visits/year compared to patients without each of those parameters (p < 0.05 for all). Outlet obstruction and high resting anal pressure were also associated with greater number of gastroenterology visits/year. After multivariate adjustment, high resting anal pressure was the only independent predictor of increased constipation-related visits/year (p = 0.02) and gastroenterology visits/year (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: Among patients with chronic constipation, high resting anal pressure, rather than outlet obstruction or slow transit, predicts healthcare resource utilization.

Diabetes and the risk of infections with immunomodulator therapy in inflammatory bowel diseases.

BACKGROUND: Infections are an important concern in patients using immunosuppressive therapy for their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Diabetes affects nearly 10% of Americans. Whether it confers an additional risk with immunosuppression in IBD has not been examined previously. AIM: To examine the association between diabetes and infections with immunomodulator use in IBD METHODS: Using a validated, multi-institutional IBD cohort, we identified all patients who received at least one prescription for immunomodulators (thiopurines, methotrexate). Our primary outcome was infection within 1 year of the prescription of the immunomodulator. Multivariable logistic regression adjusting for relevant confounders was used to estimate the independent association with diabetes. RESULTS: Our study included 2766 patients receiving at least one prescription for immunomodulators among whom 210 (8%) developed an infection within 1 year. Patients who developed an infection were likely to be older, have more comorbidities, more likely to have received a prescription for steroids but similar in initiation of anti-TNF therapy within that year. Only 8% of those without an infection had diabetes compared to 19% of those who developed an infection within 1 year [odds ratio (OR) 2.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.88-3.98, P < 0.001]. On multivariate analysis, diabetes was independently associated with a nearly two-fold increase in risk of infections (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.20-2.68). There was no increase in risk of infections with addition of anti-TNF therapy (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 0.80-1.63). CONCLUSION: Diabetes is an independent risk factor for infection in IBD patients using immunomodulator therapy.

New onset idiosyncratic liver enzyme elevations with biological therapy in inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: Anti-tumour necrosis factor α (anti-TNF) agents have been implicated in drug-induced liver injury. There is minimal data on this occurrence in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. AIM: To identify the characteristics of liver enzyme elevations following anti-TNF therapy initiation in IBD. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of patients initiating anti-TNF therapy were analysed for new onset alanine transaminase (ALT) elevation (≥60 U/L). We collected data on natural history, outcomes and patient characteristics compared with controls with persistent normal liver enzymes. Likelihood of causal association was assessed using the RUCAM score. RESULTS: From 1753 patients initiating an anti-TNF (1170 infliximab, 575 adalimumab, 8 certolizumab), 102 (6%) developed new onset ALT elevation. In 54 (53%), this could be linked to an alternate aetiology. Among those with idiopathic ALT elevations, the median time to ALT elevation from anti-TNF initiation was 18 weeks and median peak ALT was 96 U/L. Six underwent liver biopsy, all demonstrating hepatitis with autoimmune features. Compared to controls, cases were on a lower dose of infliximab (5.7 vs. 6.7 mg/kg, P = 0.02) but were otherwise similar in body mass index, sex and age. On follow-up, 34 continued the anti-TNF, 14 stopped therapy and 4 initiated steroids. Most (85%) normalised their LFTs after a median of 17 weeks including 28 (82%) of those who continued anti-TNF therapy. Ten patients were transitioned to a second anti-TNF without recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: ALT elevations occurred in 6% of IBD patients initiating anti-TNF therapy. Most idiopathic elevations were mild, transient and resolved despite therapy continuation.

HBV infection is associated with greater mortality in hospitalised patients compared to HCV infection or alcoholic liver disease.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about outcomes of Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hospitalisations. AIM: To compare the characteristics and outcomes of hospitalised HBV patients to those with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and alcoholic liver disease (ALD), and to examine variables associated with poor outcomes. METHODS: Using the 2011 US Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we identified hospitalised patients with HBV, HCV or ALD-related admissions using ICD-9-CM codes. We compared liver-related complications between the three groups. Multivariable regression was performed to identify factors associated with in-hospital mortality and length of stay. RESULTS: A total of 22 843 HBV, 203 300 HCV and 244 383 ALD-related discharges were included. Cirrhosis was noted less commonly in those with HBV (69.1%) compared to HCV (83.9%) or ALD (80.9%) (P < 0.001). In contrast, hepatocellular cancer and acute liver failure were more common with HBV (16.5% and 5.2%) compared to HCV (10.4% and 2.8%) or ALD (2.5% and 4.9%) respectively (P < 0.0001). On multivariable analysis, adjusting for demographics, liver and nonliver comorbidity, HBV infection was associated with higher mortality compared to HCV infection [Odds ratio (OR) 1.21, 95% CI: 1.04-1.39) or ALD (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.05-1.40). Length of hospital stay was greater with HBV compared to HCV (+0.54 days) or ALD (+0.36 days). Among those with HBV, significant factors associated with mortality included renal failure, hepatocellular cancer, respiratory failure, ascites, coagulopathy and acute liver failure. CONCLUSION: Patients hospitalised with HBV infection represent a particularly high-risk group with poor in-hospital outcomes and increased mortality compared to HCV infection or alcoholic liver disease.