GastroHep最新文献

Background. Recent epidemiological studies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) indicate that paediatric onset of IBD (pIBD) more often requires biological therapy compared to adult onset of IBD (aIBD). Whether this is due to a more aggressive disease phenotype or lower threshold of prescribing biologicals is unknown. In order to expand these findings in a clinical setting, we compared the inflammatory burden in pIBD and aIBD patients requiring biological therapy. Methods. We retrospectively included 70 pIBD and 83 aIBD patients initiating biological therapy. Symptoms and biomarker levels were recorded prior to and 6, 14, 22, and 52 weeks after initiation of biological therapy. Results. In Crohn’s disease (CD), the baseline levels of faecal calprotectin and C-reactive protein (CRP) were increased in paediatric CD patients compared to adult CD patients (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.01, respectively). No significant differences were seen in ulcerative colitis (UC). In CD, baseline vitamin D levels ≥ 75 nmol/L and baseline CRP levels < 5 mg/L were associated with higher remission rate (p = 0.02) at the end of follow-up. Moreover, aIBD patients had a higher risk of loss of response to biological therapy and treatment discontinuation compared to pIBD patients (HR = 4.7 [1.6-13.4], p = 0.004). Conclusions. pCD patients had increased inflammation markers compared to aCD patients prior to biological treatment. In addition to this, vitamin D < 75 nmol/L and high CRP levels predicted poor response to treatment in IBD patients.

The Edinburgh Dysphagia Score (EDS) was previously developed to identify patients referred to secondary care with dysphagia, who were most likely to have oesophageal cancer. The aim of this study was to use the EDS prospectively during the COVID pandemic to risk stratify patients to either urgent or routine investigation of dysphagia. Between 1^st April and 1^st July 2020, 283 patients were referred to NHS Lothian with dysphagia. An EDS score was calculated utilizing information in the GP referral letter or information gained in a “HOT clinic.” Patients with a score ≥ 3.5 were prioritized for investigation under the “urgent suspicion of cancer” pathway. 243 patients underwent investigations. 18 patients were diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, all of whom had an EDS ≥ 3.5 (range 4-10). Approximately one third of patients with dysphagia had a score of <3.5. Using this cut-off, sensitivity was 100% and negative predictive value 100%. This study shows that the EDS can be used prospectively when triaging patients referred to secondary care with dysphagia. The high negative predictive value using the EDS means that patients who have an EDS < 3.5 can be downgraded to a routine waiting list without leading to delays in diagnosing oesophageal malignancy. This will enable faster investigations for patients who remain on the “urgent suspicion of cancer” waiting list. In the age of COVID-19, with increasingly long waiting lists, the EDS is a useful scoring system to identify patients with the greatest need for urgent endoscopy.

Background. The number of gastrointestinal endoscopies in children is rapidly increasing without evidence of a parallel increase in disease burden. The positive yield of paediatric endoscopies outside certain conditions is small but the impact of normal “negative” results on clinical management is poorly studied. Routine mucosal biopsy in all paediatric endoscopies is common practice. We aimed to assess the impact of normal endoscopy on patient care, defined by symptom improvement and discharge from hospital follow-up, and calculate the correlation between endoscopic and histological findings. Methods. Retrospective analysis of the first diagnostic endoscopy in children (2015–2019) from Evelina London Children’ Hospital, in London, UK. Endoscopy and histology findings were recorded. Symptoms and follow-up were reviewed up to six months after the endoscopy. Results. 362 children were included; 46.7% were female. Mean age 10.5 (±4.1) years, 66.3% underwent OGDs, and 33.7% underwent combined OGD and colonoscopies. 72.9% of endoscopies and 57.2% of all biopsies were normal. There was a strong positive correlation between endoscopic findings and biopsy results (phi 0.68 p < .001). 31.2% of children reported symptom improvement and were discharged from further follow-up after undergoing endoscopy after 1.9 (±1.5) clinics, phi 0.2 p < 0.001 between normal endoscopy and discharge. Conclusion. Negative endoscopy appears to influence clinical management and discharge from hospital follow-up in about a third of children undergoing endoscopy. The practice of routine biopsies in all paediatric endoscopies should be considered due to a strong positive correlation between normal endoscopies and normal biopsies.

Background. Vedolizumab is a gut-selective monoclonal anti-α₄β₇-integrin antibody approved for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease (CD). Aim. To conduct a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of published real-world studies examining mucosal healing (MH) rates in patients with CD treated with vedolizumab in routine clinical practice. Methods. MEDLINE-, Cochrane-, and EMBASE-indexed publications from January 2014 to January 2020 and 2018-2019 conference abstracts were searched for real-world studies reporting MH-related outcomes in vedolizumab-treated adults with CD. A meta-analysis was conducted in R to generate pooled estimates of MH. The primary analysis included studies reporting point estimates of MH/endoscopic remission as absence of ulcers/erosions and/or Simple Endoscopic Score for CD (SES-CD) cut − points < 4, at 6 and 12 months. Results. The systematic literature review included 36 studies, predominantly of antitumour necrosis factor-experienced patients. MH and endoscopic remission were the most frequently reported endpoints. MH rates were 10.1%-46.0% at 6 months (ten studies) and 21.2%-62.5% at 12 months (eight studies). Fifteen studies defining MH as absence of ulcers/erosions and/or SES-CD cut − points < 4 were included for meta-analysis. Pooled MH rates for the primary analysis were 31.8% at 6 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 25.6-38.3; five studies, N = 223) and 33.4% at 12 months (95% CI: 25.9-41.4; three studies, N = 151). Conclusion. Approximately one-third of vedolizumab-treated patients with CD achieved MH at both 6 and 12 months in real-world clinical settings, despite utilisation in largely biologic-refractory patients. These findings confirm the effectiveness of vedolizumab for achieving MH in patients with CD.

Although acute pancreatitis is one of the most common conditions that physicians face in daily practice, different approaches are still being followed. Given that in 20–30% of cases, acute pancreatitis progresses to the severe form with single- or multiorgan failure and is often associated with admission to the intensive care unit, proper management is important. This article is aimed at emphasizing the importance of proper conservative treatment of acute pancreatitis and at focusing on intervention criteria in case of complications, analyzing additionally the step-up endoscopic and surgical approaches. The most common mistakes in conservative treatment include inadequate initial fluid resuscitation, abuse in the administration of antibiotics, insufficient analgesia, avoidance of oral feeding, and inappropriate use of imaging techniques. Moreover, the timing and indications for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and cholecystectomy are crucial. Furthermore, in case of unsatisfying response to conservative treatment, which mainly happens during necrotic pancreatitis, early intervention is not indicated and a minimally invasive approach must be adopted firstly, 4 weeks after the onset of the disease, and before any surgical intervention. Each medical procedure has specific indications and must be used in the appropriate occasion. As a result, clinical doctors must be familiar both with the intervention criteria and the indications of each method. The proper management of acute pancreatitis is essential and life-saving. That is valid both for the conservative treatment and for the invasive approaches.

Background. Evidence regarding the use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) in COVID-19 patients remains elusive. Aim. To examine the potential effects of PPI use on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients in a territory-wide cohort. Methods. A retrospective cohort study was performed using data from a territory-wide database in Hong Kong. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 23 January 2020 to 1 January 2021 were identified by virological results. The primary endpoint was a composite of intensive care unit admission, use of invasive mechanical ventilation, and/or death. PPI users were identified by PPI use within 12 months prior to their diagnosis of COVID-19. Results. We identified 8,675 COVID-19 patients (mean age 46 years, 49% male, 97.6% of all reported cases in Hong Kong), of which 579 (6.7%) patients had used PPI. PPI users were found to be older, more likely to have comorbidities, concomitant medications and unfavourable laboratory parameters than nonusers. Of the 8,675 COVID-19 patients, 500 (5.8%) developed the primary endpoint. After propensity score (PS) balancing for patients’ demographics, comorbidities, laboratory parameters, and use of medications, PPI use was not found to be associated with the development of primary endpoint in PS weighting (weighted hazard ratio (HR) 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82–1.46, P = 0.529), and PS matching analysis (weighted HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.56–1.13, P = 0.198). Consistent nonassociation was observed after multivariable adjustment (adjusted HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.67–1.06, P = 0.142), and in subgroups of current and past PPI users. Conclusion. PPI use is not found to be associated with adverse clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. The result remains robust after PS weighting, PS matching, and multivariable adjustment.