Ustekinumab Escalation in Patients with Crohn’s Disease & Healthy Lifestyle Choices for IBD Patients

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JE Ollech et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021; 19: 104-110. Effectiveness of Ustekinumab Dose Escalation in Patients With Crohn’s Disease

In patients with Crohn’s disease, dose escalation of biologic therapy (eg. anti-TNF agents, vedolizumab) has been shown to be helpful in recapturing response to treatment. In a retrospective study with 110 patients, Ollech et al explore the outcomes in those who had their subcutaneous ustekinumab interval shortened to 4 weeks (from every 8 weeks).

Key findings:

  • Following dose interval shortening, the patients’ median Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) decreased from 4.5 to 3 ( P = .002), the median level of CRP decreased from 8 mg/L to 3 mg/L ( P = .031), and median level of fecal calprotectin decreased from 378 μg/g to 157 μg/g ( P = .57).
  •  Among patients with active disease (HBI >4, CRP ≥/=5mg/dL, fecal calprotectin >250ug/g, or endoscopic evidence for disease activity), dose interval shortening was associated with a 28% clinical remission (an HBI score ≤4), and 50% had reduced levels of fecal calprotectin; 36% achieved endoscopic remission.
  • The authors did not identify serious adverse events with dose shortening.

My take: Prospective studies are needed. This study indicates that more frequent dosing improves outcomes in a significant fraction of those with active disease.

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Unrelated article: C-H Lo et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021; 19: 87-95. Healthy Lifestyle Is Associated With Reduced Mortality in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases In this study, using data from three large cohort studies, the authors assessed the impact of 5 healthy lifestyle factors: never smoking, body mass index 18.5–24.9 kg/m 2, vigorous physical activity in the highest 50% with non-zero value, alternate Mediterranean diet score ≥4, and light drinking [0.1–5.0 g/d]. Key finding:

  • Compared to patients with IBD with no healthy lifestyle factors, patients with IBD with 3–5 healthy lifestyle factors had a significant reduction in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.29; 95% CI, 0.16–0.52; Ptrend < .0001). 

My take: Like the general population, healthy lifestyle choices are important in individuals with IBD; this study provides some data on the effects on outcomes.