Correlation of endoscopic disease severity with pediatric ulcerative colitis activity index score in children and young adults with ulcerative colitis.

AIM: To investigate of pediatric ulcerative colitis activity index (PUCAI) in ulcerative colitis correlate with mucosal inflammation and endoscopic assessment of disease activity (Mayo endoscopic score). METHODS: We reviewed charts from ulcerative colitis patients who had undergone both colonoscopy over 3 years. Clinical assessment of disease severity within 35 d (either before or after) the colonoscopy were included. Patients were excluded if they had significant therapeutic interventions (such as the start of corticosteroids or immunosuppressive agents) between the colonoscopy and the clinical assessment. Mayo endoscopic score of the rectum and sigmoid were done by two gastroenterologists. Inter-observer variability in Mayo score was assessed. RESULTS: We identified 99 patients (53% female, 74% pancolitis) that met inclusion criteria. The indications for colonoscopy included ongoing disease activity (62%), consideration of medication change (10%), assessment of medication efficacy (14%), and cancer screening (14%). Based on PUCAI scores, 33% of patients were in remission, 39% had mild disease, 23% had moderate disease, and 4% had severe disease. There was "moderate-substantial" agreement between the two reviewers in assessing rectal Mayo scores (kappa = 0.54, 95%CI: 0.41-0.68). CONCLUSION: Endoscopic disease severity (Mayo score) assessed by reviewing photographs of pediatric colonoscopy has moderate inter-rater reliability, and agreement was less robust in assessing patients with mild disease activity. Endoscopic disease severity generally correlates with clinical disease severity as measured by PUCAI score. However, children with inflamed colons can have significant variation in their reported clinical symptoms. Thus, assessment of both clinical symptoms and endoscopic disease severity may be required in future clinical studies.

Antibodies to infliximab are associated with lower infliximab levels and increased likelihood of surgery in pediatric IBD.

BACKGROUND: Adult studies suggest antibodies to infliximab (ATI) correlate with loss of response in inflammatory bowel disease but pediatric data are limited. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of trough infliximab levels and ATI in 134 pediatric and young adult patients receiving infliximab. At the time serum was obtained demographics, disease phenotype, duration of infliximab therapy, use of combination therapy (methotrexate or 6-mercaptopurine with infliximab), and surgery were recorded. RESULTS: Assays were performed on 134 subjects currently receiving infliximab (85 male; mean age, 17.3 ± 4.3 years; 114 Crohn's disease and 20 ulcerative colitis). Infliximab use ranged from 12 days to 12 years: median 2.0 (interquartile range [1.1-4.3]) years. Twenty-seven of 134 (20%) patients had ATI ≥5 U/mL. Of patients with ATI ≥5 U/mL, 59% had infliximab levels <5 µg/mL, compared with 14% of patients with ATI <5 U/mL (P < 0.001). Ten (7%) patients (9 Crohn's disease, 1 ulcerative colitis) underwent bowel resections after beginning infliximab infusions. Sixty percent who underwent surgery had ATI ≥12 U/mL; in contrast, only 8% of patients who did not undergo surgery had ATI ≥12 U/mL (P = 0.01). At the time of serum sampling, 50 (37%) patients were receiving combination therapy, compared with 84 (63%) on infliximab alone. Combination therapy at the time of serum sampling did not correlate with either increase infliximab levels or lower ATI compared with infliximab monotherapy. However, prior immunomodulator use was associated with lower antibody levels (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: ATI correlates with reduction in infliximab level and a higher risk of surgery in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.