Category Archives: inflammatory bowel disease

Can IBD Be Treated with Diet Alone?

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This question was debated recently in GI and Hepatology News: Can IBD be treated with diet alone?

Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan, MD, MPH argues that IBD can be treated with diet alone:

  • “Randomized controlled trials published more than a decade ago demonstrated that exclusive enteral nutrition, wherein all table foods are eliminated from a diet and the patient relies on an elemental diet alone for nutrition, was effective in not just inducing clinical remission but also improving inflammatory biomarkers.”
  • “More recent rigorous studies have demonstrated that the effects of exclusive enteral nutrition can be mimicked either by a selected, less-restrictive diet (such as CD-TREAT4), which is more sustainable, or by combining partial enteral nutrition with an elimination diet that is quite diverse (such as CDED5).”

Laura Raffals, MD, MS argues against treating IBD with dietary therapy.

  • “Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) has been studied the most rigorously of all diets in IBD and has demonstrated the greatest benefit, compared with other diet studies in IBD. EEN requires the intake of elemental, semi-elemental, or polymeric formulas to meet all nutritional requirements without additional intake of food for 6-8 weeks. Studies have been performed mostly in pediatric populations and have shown effectiveness in induction of remission with reduction in inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and fecal calprotectin, and even mucosal healing. EEN has not worked out as well for adult populations, because of the poor tolerability of exclusive intake of enteral formulas.”
  • “Beyond EEN, there are many diets that have been considered … only the SCD and Crohn’s disease exclusion diets have shown improvement in clinical remission and reduction in inflammatory markers.”
  • “Most dietary studies are underpowered, lack a control arm, and do not include endoscopic endpoints. The current body of evidence remains insufficient to support the use of diet alone for the treatment of IBD.”

My take: Except for exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) which is quite challenging, dietary therapies have not been proven as effective long-term stand-alone treatments. In patients who choose dietary therapy, careful monitoring is particularly important.

Related blog posts:

IBD Update -December 2020

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DHW Little et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2020;115:1768–1774. Effectiveness of Dose De-escalation of Biologic Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review (Thanks to Ben Gold for this reference)

In this systematic review, a total of 995 adult patients were included from 18 observational studies (4 prospective and 14 retrospective), 1 nonrandomized controlled trial, and 1 subgroup analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Key findings:

  • Biologic dose de-escalation was associated with relapse rates as high as 50% at 1 year. Overall, clinical relapse occurred in 0%–54% of patients who dose de-escalated biologic therapy (17 studies).
  • Lower rates of relapse (10%–25%) were reported in studies involving patients with endoscopic and/or histologic remission
  • These results are in agreement with a previous meta-analysis, which found a 1-year risk of relapse after discontinuation of anti-TNF therapy of 36% in CD and 28% in UC ( Gisbert JP, et al.. Am J Gastroenterol 2016;111:632–47).

My take: This study shows that dose de-escalation of biologic therapy in IBD
seems to be associated with high rates of clinical relapse

C Chapuis-Biron et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2020;115:1812–1820. Ustekinumab for Perianal Crohn’s Disease: The BioLAP Multicenter Study From the GETAID (Thanks to Ben Gold for this reference too)

In this national multicenter retrospective cohort study in 207 adult patients with either active or inactive perianal Crohn’s disease (pCD) who received ustekinumab (2017-2018). The majority had received multiple biologics (~85% had at least 2 anti-TNF agents, 28% had received vedolizumab) and prior anal surgeries (mean 2.8).

Methods: Success of ustekinumab was defined by (i) clinical success at 6 months of treatment assessed by the physicians’ judgment, with (ii) no need for dedicated medical treatment for perianal lesions (antibiotics and/or topics) nor (iii) unscheduled surgical treatment. For perianal disease evaluation, clinical success was defined in the study protocol, by the absence of draining pus for fistulas, and no anal ulcers

Key findings:

  •  In patients with active pCD, success was reached in 57/148 (38.5%) patients.
  • Among patients with setons at initiation, 29/88 (33%) had a successful removal.
  • In patients with inactive pCD at initiation, the probability of recurrence-free survival was 86.2% and 75.1% at weeks 26 and 52, respectively.
  • The absence of ustekinumab optimization was associated with upper odds of success (OR 2.74). “We can suppose in our present study that optimization of treatment was needed in severe refractory patients with no or insufficient response to ustekinumab. Thus, in these nonresponders, success was not achieved despite optimization.”

My take (partly borrowed from authors): “This large multicenter dedicated study adds
substantial evidence to the growing literature on ustekinumab effectiveness in refractory CD.” For pCD, optimization of ustekinumab has a low likelihood of improving response.

Related blog posts -De-escalation:

Related blog posts -Ustekinumab/Crohn’s Disease:

Disease Activity, Not Medications, Linked to Neonatal Outcomes Among Women with IBD

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U Mahadevan at el. Gastroenterology; 2020: (in press) DOI:https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2020.11.038. Pregnancy and Neonatal Outcomes after Fetal Exposure To Biologics and Thiopurines among Women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Methods: Between 2007 and 2019, pregnant women with IBD were enrolled in a prospective, observational, multicenter study across the United States (PIANO registry). 

Key findings:

  • Exposure was to thiopurines (242), biologics (642) or both (227) versus unexposed (379)
  • Medication exposure did not increase the rate of congenital malformations, spontaneous abortions, preterm birth, LBW, and infections over the first year of life
  • Higher disease activity was associated with risk of spontaneous abortion (HR 3.41, 95% CI 1.51-7.69) and preterm birth with increased infant infection (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.19-2.51)

My take: This study provides some reassurance that treatments for IBD are unlikely to affect neonatal outcomes; however, increased IBD activity does affect outcomes

Related blog post: IBD and Pregnancy

A Definite Maybe: Antibiotics for Acute Severe Colitis

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D Turner et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2020; 26: 1733-1742. Antibiotic Cocktail for Pediatric Acute Severe Colitis and the Microbiome: The PRASCO Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized study with 28 children with acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) (PUCAI > /= 65) tried to determine if antibiotics with IV corticosteroids resulted in improved outcomes compared to IV corticosteroids alone. Most in the antibiotic group received the following for 3 weeks:

  • Vancomycin 250 mg 4/day (if less than 8 years, then 125 mg 4/day)
  • Amoxicillin 50 mg/kg/day divided into 3/day dosing (max 500 mg/dose)
  • Metronidazole 5 mg/kg/dose 3/day (max 250 mg/dose)
  • Doxycycline 2 mg/kg/dose 2/day (children less than 7 years rec’d ciprofloxacin 10 mg/kg 2/day -max 250 mg/dose)

Key findings:

  • The mean day-5 PUCAI was 25 ± 16.7 in the abx/steroid combination group vs 40.4 ± 20.4 in the steroid monotherapy group (P = 0.037)
  • Median calprotectin values were lower in the abx combination group at day 5 (1202 vs. 2170, P=0.24) and at discharge (1210 vs 1840, P=0.695)
  • The need for 2nd line rescue therapy was low in both groups: 19% in abx group and 17% in the steroid group
  • Within 1 year, 3/16 (19%) in the abx combination group had had a colectomy compared with 2/12 (17%) in the steroid monotherapy.
  • The authors found no correlation between microbial features/microbiome at admissioin and clinical response 5 days later

In their discussion, the authors note that if antibiotics had a treatment benefit as high as 30% in avoiding second-line treatment (ie, 14% in intervention arm), “randomization of 1228 children would be required to show such a difference with a power of 80%.”

My take: I agree with the authors who state that “antibiotics cannot be routinely recommended until larger studies demonstrate a reduced need for second-line treatment or colectomy.”

Related blog posts:

Ravenel Bridge, Charleston, SC

Disclaimer: This blog, gutsandgrowth, assumes no responsibility for any use or operation of any method, product, instruction, concept or idea contained in the material herein or for any injury or damage to persons or property (whether products liability, negligence or otherwise) resulting from such use or operation. These blog posts are for educational purposes only. Specific dosing of medications (along with potential adverse effects) should be confirmed by prescribing physician.  Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, the gutsandgrowth blog cautions that independent verification should be made of diagnosis and drug dosages. The reader is solely responsible for the conduct of any suggested test or procedure.  This content is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a condition

What about Combination Therapy with Adalimumab?

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M Matar et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2020; 26: 1627-1635. Free full text link: Combination Therapy of Adalimumab With an Immunomodulator Is Not More Effective Than Adalimumab Monotherapy in Children With Crohn’s Disease: A Post Hoc Analysis of the PAILOT Randomized Controlled Trial

Methods: Participants (n=78, ages 6-17 years) in this study were part of the PAILOT trial; they were naïve to biologic therapy with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease. This was a randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate proactive vs reactive therapeutic drug monitoring in children with Crohn’s disease (CD) treated with adalimumab. 

Key findings:

  • There was no significant difference in the rates of sustained corticosteroid-free clinical remission (25/34, 73%, vs 28/44, 63%; P = 0.35) or sustained composite outcome of clinical remission, C-reactive protein ≤0.5 mg/dL, and calprotectin ≤150 µg/g (10/34, 29%, vs 14/44, 32%; P = 0.77) between the combination group and the monotherapy group, respectively.
  • Adalimumab trough concentrations and immunogenicity were not significantly different between groups. The rate of serious adverse events was not significantly different between groups but was numerically higher in the monotherapy group. The monotherapy group had three patients undergo ileo-cecal resection.

The discussion reviews a number of studies that have compared combination and monotherapy. One key point is that this study enrolled children who were naïve to biologic therapy; thus, combination therapy may be more useful in those who have failed a previous biologic, particularly if the loss of response was immune-mediated.

My take: This study indicates that combination therapy is likely not routinely needed in children who start adalimumab and who are naïve to biologic therapy. Another finding of interest is the relatively low sustained composite outcome of clinical remission, approximately 30; this outcome combined clinical remission with biological markers. ~30%

Pitt Street Bridge Park, Mt Pleasant SC

Histologic Healing and IBD Outcomes

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Several recent studies recently evaluated outcomes based on histologic healing compared to endoscopic remission.

RK Pai et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020; 18: 2510-2517. Full text link: Complete Resolution of Mucosal Neutrophils Associates With Improved Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Patients With Ulcerative Colitis n=281.Key findings:

  • “We found histologic evidence of UC activity (Geboes score ≥ 2B.1) in biopsies from 182 patients (65%) and endoscopic evidence of UC activity in 149 patients (53%) (substantial agreement, κ = 0.60).”
  • “Histologic features of UC activity were associated with increased rates of systemic corticosteroid use, colectomy, and hospitalization in the entire cohort (P < .05 for all) and associated with increased rates of systemic corticosteroid use in an analysis limited to patients in endoscopic remission (P < .001).”

B Christensen et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020; 18: 2518-2525. Full text link: Histologic Healing Is More Strongly Associated with Clinical Outcomes in Ileal Crohn’s Disease than Endoscopic Healing This was a a retrospective study of 101 patients with CD (52% male) isolated to the terminal ileum. Key findings:

  • At ileo-colonoscopy, 63% of patients had endoscopic healing and 55% had histologic evidence of healing. The level of agreement between endoscopic and histologic activity was fair (62%, K = 0.2250, P = .0064)
  • On multivariate analysis, only histologic healing was associated with decreased risk of clinical relapse (hazard ratio [HR], 2.05; 95% CI, 1.07–3.94; P = .031), medication escalation (HR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.2–3.96; P = .011), and corticosteroid use (HR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.17–5.09; P = .018).
Kaplan-Meier analysis of effect of endoscopic and histologic activity on (A) clinical relapse-free survival versus histologic healing, (B) clinical relapse-free survival versus endoscopic healing

D Kevans et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2020; 26: 1722-1729. Histological Markers of Clinical Relapse in Endoscopically Quiescent Ulcerative Colitis Key finding: In endoscopically quiescent UC (n=76), active histological inflammation …[is] adjunctive histological marker associated with increased likelihood of disease relapse. The associated editorial (1730-32 by Asher Kornbluth) quotes Voltaire: “A wise Italian says that the best is the enemy of the good.” He notes that there is “a very real risk of abandoning an effective drug while chasing the goal of some yet to be universally defined histologic remission.” Currently organizational guidelines (ACG, AGA, ECCO, IOIBD) do NOT suggest the use of histologic normalization as an endpoint at this point.

My take: These studies show that histologic healing in ileal Crohn’s disease and in ulcerative colitis are associated with better outcomes that endoscopic appearance. However, there are a lot questions because many patients, possibly a majority, will not achieve histologic healing despite aggressive treatment. Related technical issues include how many biopsies are needed to assess histology and having a validated histologic assessment.

Related blog posts:

Disclaimer: This blog, gutsandgrowth, assumes no responsibility for any use or operation of any method, product, instruction, concept or idea contained in the material herein or for any injury or damage to persons or property (whether products liability, negligence or otherwise) resulting from such use or operation. These blog posts are for educational purposes only. Specific dosing of medications (along with potential adverse effects) should be confirmed by prescribing physician.  Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, the gutsandgrowth blog cautions that independent verification should be made of diagnosis and drug dosages. The reader is solely responsible for the conduct of any suggested test or procedure.  This content is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a condition.

In Case You Missed It: IBD Year in Review (Eric Benchimol)

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I did not have the opportunity to hear this #NASPGHAN20 lecture but Dr. Benchimol has shared his slides. Link to Dropbox Slides: IBD Clinical Science: Year in Review

Some of the key points on slides (links to articles below):

Some screenshots:

Links to many of the referenced papers:


Related links:

Ustekinumab Effectiveness for Ulcerative Colitis Over Two Years

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R Pannacionne et al. AP&T. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16119. Full text link: Ustekinumab is effective and safe for ulcerative colitis through 2 years of maintenance therapy

Methods: Overall, 399 (adult) “responders to intravenous ustekinumab induction and who were randomised to maintenance therapy were treated in the long‐term extension (115 received subcutaneous placebo, 141 received ustekinumab 90 mg every 12 weeks [q12w], and 143 received ustekinumab 90 mg q8w). Placebo treatment was discontinued at unblinding after week 44”

Key Findings:

  • Symptomatic remission rates (stool frequency = 0/1; rectal bleeding = 0) at week 92 were, 64.5% and 67.6% in the ustekinumab q12w and q8w groups, respectively ((Intent-to-treat population).
  • At week 44 of maintenance, measures of UC disease activity (eg Mayo scores) were generally comparable among patients randomised to ustekinumab q12w and q8w with 46.1% and 52.4% in clinical remission and 56.7% and 61.5% with endoscopic improvement respectively
  • Among randomised patients treated in the long‐term extension, 78.7% and 83.2% of patients receiving q12w and q8w, respectively, attained symptomatic remission at week 92; >95% of patients in symptomatic remission at week 92 were corticosteroid‐free
  • No new safety signals were observed
Steroid-free Remission (Intent-to-treat population)

Related blog posts:

Disclaimer: This blog, gutsandgrowth, assumes no responsibility for any use or operation of any method, product, instruction, concept or idea contained in the material herein or for any injury or damage to persons or property (whether products liability, negligence or otherwise) resulting from such use or operation. These blog posts are for educational purposes only. Specific dosing of medications (along with potential adverse effects) should be confirmed by prescribing physician.  Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, the gutsandgrowth blog cautions that independent verification should be made of diagnosis and drug dosages. The reader is solely responsible for the conduct of any suggested test or procedure.  This content is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a condition

Anemia in IBD -NASPGHAN Position Paper

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A Goyal et al. JPGN 2020; 71: 563-582 Full text (free). Anemia in Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Position Paper by the IBD Committee of the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

Main Types of Anemia in Inflammatory Bowel Disease:

  • “IDA is the most common cause of anemia in children with IBD. True iron deficiency results from a number of factors, including chronic blood loss secondary to gastrointestinal bleeding, decreased iron absorption because of tissue or systemic inflammation and from reduced absorptive surface area. “
  • “Functional iron deficiency (FID) results from high levels of circulating hepcidin, which binds to and disables the iron transporter, ferroportin. Under the influence of hepcidin, ferroportin-mediated export of intracellular iron is stalled, leaving the iron trapped within the enterocytes and macrophages… the underlying inflammation, which induces hepcidin production can result in anemia secondary to FID.”
  • Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) “occurs from various downstream pathways secondary to inflammation.”

Table 4:

Recommended Testing

  • Screening Tests: “initially a complete blood count (CBC), CRP, and ferritin levels should be performed. If a patient is found to be anemic, then testing should include CBC with differential, including mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular Hgb concentration (MCHC), red cell distribution width (RDW), reticulocyte count, CRP, serum ferritin, and transferrin saturation (TSAT)”
  • Serum iron level … is … unreliable in the assessment of iron deficiency as the level fluctuates with several variables.
  • Transferrin saturation (TSAT) is a measure of the iron content in the circulating transferrin and reflects the availability of utilizable iron

Treatment of Anemia

  • In mild anemia (Hgb ≥10 g/dL) and/or quiescent disease, oral iron should be tried first.
  • Parenteral iron is indicated when oral iron is ineffective or poorly tolerated, in patients with moderate-severe anemia and/or with active inflammation.
  •  According to ECCO guidelines, an IV replacement goal of achieving of ferritin level of up to 400 μg/L is more likely to prevent recurrence of anemia…a transferrin saturation of 50% and serum ferritin of 800 μg/L should not be exceeded
  • Regarding iron effects on microbiome: studies indicate that dysbiosis at baseline worsens the unfavorable shifts in microbiome with oral iron therapy…Our position, however, is that further studies are required in humans before any reliable conclusions can be drawn. [My question: have the effects of oral iron supplementation on the microbiome been compared to IV iron supplementation on the microbiome?]
  • Table 6 lists various iron products including costs and dosing.
  • The hypersensitivity reactions to parenteral iron are mostly secondary to iron nanoparticles that trigger complement activation-related pseudo-allergy (CARPA)….It is important that parenteral iron be administered by trained personnel. Emergency medications and resuscitative equipment should be available during these infusions.

My take: This is a useful resource for a very common problem.

Related blog posts:

Disclaimer: This blog, gutsandgrowth, assumes no responsibility for any use or operation of any method, product, instruction, concept or idea contained in the material herein or for any injury or damage to persons or property (whether products liability, negligence or otherwise) resulting from such use or operation. These blog posts are for educational purposes only. Specific dosing of medications (along with potential adverse effects) should be confirmed by prescribing physician.  Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, the gutsandgrowth blog cautions that independent verification should be made of diagnosis and drug dosages. The reader is solely responsible for the conduct of any suggested test or procedure.  This content is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a condition

More Evidence That A Proinflammatory Diet May Increase the Risk of Crohn’s Disease

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C-H Lo et al. Gastroenterol 2020; 159: 873-883. Full Text Link Dietary Inflammatory Potential and Risk of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

The authors used Empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) scores which were calculated based on the weighted sums of 18 food groups obtained via food frequency questionnaires. n=166,903 women and 41,931 men 

Key findings:

  • “In an analysis of 3 large prospective cohorts, we found dietary patterns with high inflammatory potential to be associated with increased risk of CD but not UC.”
    • Compared with participants in the lowest quartile of cumulative average EDIP score, those in the highest quartile (highest dietary inflammatory potential) had a 51% higher risk of CD (HR 1.51; 95% CI 1.10–2.07; Ptrend = .01).
  • There were 328 cases of CD and 428 cases of UC over 4,949,938 person-years of follow-up. The median age at IBD diagnosis was 55 years (range 29–85 years)

Discussion points:

  •  Food groups that are associated with unfavorable EDIP scores “are characterized by calorie-dense foods high in animal proteins, saturated fats, and glycemic carbohydrates, such as red meat, refined grain, and high-energy soft drinks.”
    • “Dietary patterns resembling the Western diet, characterized by higher intake of red meat, high-fat dairy, and refined grains, have been proposed to trigger the onset of intestinal inflammation by inducing changes in gut microbiome, altering host homeostasis, and regulating T-cell immune response.”
  • “In contrast, diets rich in fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, and poultry, resembling a more prudent and Mediterranean dietary pattern with high fiber and marine ω-3 content, may have anti-inflammatory effects.”

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