NZ Borren et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2021; 27: 1740-1746. Open Access: Longitudinal Trajectory of Fatigue in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Prospective Study

In this prospective study using the CCFA IBD Partners cohort, the authors examined fatigue symptoms with questionnaires (FACIT-F and MDI) at 3 timepoints over a 1 year period. There was likely a strong selection bias among participants (mean disease duration was 18 years) who chose to complete theses questionnaires. Key findings:

• Persistent fatigue (at baseline and at 6 months) was the most common pattern, affecting two-thirds (65.8%) of patients
• The strongest predictor of incident fatigue was sleep disturbance at baseline (odds ratio, 2.91.
• Only 12.3% of those with fatigue at baseline had symptom resolution by 6 months. Resolution was more likely in patients with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, quiescent disease, and an absence of significant psychological comorbidity

My take: In those with fatigue, it is often persistent.

Related blog post: #MondayNightIBD and Fatigue

D King et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2021; 27: 1731-1739. The Risk of Later Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Patients With Dermatological Disorders Associated With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The authors retrospectively studied 7447 patients with dermatological conditions such as erythema nodosum (EN), pyoderma gangrenosum, Sweet’s syndrome, and aphthous stomatitis which can occur with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and are considered dermatological extraintestinal manifestations (D-EIMs).

Key findings:

• 131 (1.8%) subsequent IBD diagnoses in patients with D-EIMs compared with 65 (0.2%) in those without D-EIMs
• Median time to IBD diagnosis was 205 days (IQR, 44-661 days) in those with D-EIMs

My take: The absolute risk if IBD is low in patients with D-EIMs but still increased 6-fold. This would probably be a good population to screen for IBD with a biomarker (eg. calprotectin)

Related blog post: Review of Pyoderma Gangrenosum

J Shah et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2021; 27: 1832-1838. Ocular Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Nice review: “ocular manifestations of IBD include keratopathy, episcleritis, scleritis, and uveitis and are among the most common extraintestinal manifestations.” Urgent referral to ophthalmology needed if deep eye pain that can awaken from sleep (?scleritis), if photosensitivity/blurry vision/headache (?anterior uveitis), or if floaters/decreased vision (?posterior uveitis)