Survival in Danish patients with breast cancer and inflammatory bowel disease: a nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND: Incidences of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and of breast cancer have increased over the last decades. The influence of IBD on breast cancer prognosis, however, is unknown. We therefore examined the impact of IBD on treatment receipt and survival in breast cancer patients. METHODS: Information on breast cancer patients (stage and treatment) diagnosed between 1980 and 2004 was sourced from the Danish Cancer Registry. Data on IBD and potential confounders were extracted from the Danish National Registry of Patients covering all Danish hospitals. Cox regression was used to compute mortality rate ratios (MRRs) among breast cancer patients with IBD, compared to their non-IBD counterparts, adjusting for age, stage, comorbidity measured by the Charlson Index, and calendar year. RESULTS: We identified 71,148 breast cancer cases; 67 also had Crohn's disease (CD) and 216 had ulcerative colitis (UC). Patients with CD had more advanced stage and received radiotherapy less, and chemotherapy more, frequently than patients without IBD. In the adjusted analyses there was no substantial survival difference in breast cancer patients with and without IBD (MRR(CD) = 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.85-1.75; MRR(UC) = 1.09; 95% CI = 0.86-1.38). In a stratified analysis, chemotherapy was associated with poorer survival in patients with CD (MRR(CD) = 1.93; 95% CI = 1.00-3.72). CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer patients with UC receive the same treatment and have similar survival to breast cancer without IBD. In contrast, breast cancer patients with CD are treated with radiotherapy less often. Survival of breast cancer in patients with CD treated with chemotherapy is poorer compared to survival in patients without IBD.     

Risk of inflammatory bowel disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A nationwide,population-based study

BACKGROUND There is a growing evidence regarding an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) among patients with airway diseases.AIM To investigate the influence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) on the risk of IBD.METHODS A nationwide, population-based study was conducted using data from the National Health Insurance Service database. A total of 1303021 patients with COPD and 6515105 non-COPD controls were identified. The COPD group was divided into the severe and the mild COPD group according to diagnostic criteria. The risk of IBD in patients with COPD compared to controls was analyzed by Cox proportional hazard regression models. The cumulativeincidences of IBD were compared between the groups.RESULTS The COPD group had higher incidences of IBD compared to non-COPD controls(incidence rate, 9.98 vs 7.18 per 100000 person-years, P 0.001). The risk of IBD in the COPD group was increased by 1.38(adjusted hazard ratio(HR); 95%CI: 1.25-1.52). The incidence rate of IBD was higher in the severe COPD group than in the mild COPD group(12.39 vs 9.77 per 100000 person-year, P 0.001). The severity of COPD was associated with an increased risk of IBD(adjusted HR 1.70 in severe COPD, 95%CI: 1.27-2.21 and adjusted HR 1.35 in mild COPD, 95%CI: 1.22-1.49)CONCLUSION The incidences of IBD were significantly increased in COPD patients in South Korea and the risk of developing IBD also increased as the severity of COPD increased.     

Evaluation of venous thromboembolism and coagulation-fibrinolysis markers in Japanese patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background Arterial or venous thromboembolism is rarely encountered clinically as an extradigestive tract complication in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, it is one of the important prognostic factors for IBD patients. The present study was designed to evaluate the relationship between pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with coagulation-fibrinolysis markers in patients with active IBD.Methods In 47 consecutive cases hospitalized due to active IBD [26 with Crohns disease (CD) and 21 with ulcerative colitis (UC)], we evaluated the disease severity, blood tests, pulmonary ventilation-perfusion scan (V/Q scan), and magnetic resonance venography (MRV) or conventional venography.Results PE was diagnosed by V/Q scan in 5 (2 with CD and 3 with UC; 10.6%). DVT was diagnosed in 5 (2 with CD and 3 with UC; 10.6%). Of the 47 patients, 8 (17.0%) had venous thromboembolism (either PE or DVT), and 2 of them (4.3%) had both conditions. In UC patients, the thrombosis group was in more severe stages based on endoscopic grading than the nonthrombosis group. In all patients, the thrombosis group were older (50.3 ± 14.3 years) than the nonthrombosis group (29.2 ± 11.7 years). Furthermore, the thrombosis group had higher thrombin–antithrombin III complex (13.1 ± 17.7ng/ml) and d-dimer (964 ± 1402ng/ml) values than the nonthrombosis group (5.3 ± 5.5ng/ml, P = 0.0245, and 207 ± 192ng/ml, P = 0.0016, respectively). There were no significant differences in leukocyte and platelet counts, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen between the two groups.Conclusions A high incidence of venous thromboembolism was suggested in Japanese patients with active IBD. We should be careful with thrombosis in treatment of IBD patients, especially those who are of older age and in more severe stages.     

Incidence and risk of venous thromboembolism in patients following appendectomy: a nationwide cohort study

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis - Surgery may lead to poor blood flow and hypercoagulation. Few studies have investigated the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Asian patients...     

Clinical presentation of venous thromboembolism in inflammatory bowel disease

Background and aimsPatients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), but data on frequency, site of thrombosis and risk factors are limited. We sought to determine prevalence, incidence as well as location and clinical features of first VTE among IBD patients.MethodsWe evaluated a cohort of 2811 IBD patients for a history of symptomatic, objectively confirmed first VTE, recruited from 14 referral centers. Patients with VTE before IBD diagnosis or cancer were excluded. Incidence rates were calculated based on person-years from IBD diagnosis to first VTE or end of follow-up, respectively.Results2784 patients (total observation time 24,778 person-years) were analyzed. Overall, of 157 IBD patients with a history of VTE, 142 (90.4%) had deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE), whereas 15 (9.6%) had cerebral, portal, mesenteric, splenic or internal jugular vein thrombosis. The prevalence and incidence rate of all VTE was 5.6% and 6.3 per 1000 person years, respectively. Patients with VTE were older at IBD diagnosis than those without VTE (34.4 ± 14.8 years vs 32.1 ± 14.4 years, p = 0.045), but did not differ regarding sex, underlying IBD and disease duration. 121 (77.1%) VTE were unprovoked, 122 (77.7%) occurred in outpatients and 78 (60.9%) in patients with active disease. Medication at first VTE included corticosteroids (42.3%), thiopurines (21.2%), and infliximab (0.7%).ConclusionVTE is frequent in IBD patients. Most of them are unprovoked and occur in outpatients. DVT and PE are most common and unusual sites of thrombosis are rare.     

Increased end-stage renal disease risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease:A nationwide populationbased study

AIM To estimate the risk of end-stage renal disease(ESRD)in patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).METHODS From January 2010 to December 2013, patients with Crohn's disease(CD) and ulcerative colitis(UC) were identified, based on both the International Classification of Diseases, 10 th revision(ICD-10) and the rare,intractable disease registration program codes from the National Health Insurance(NHI) database in South Korea. We compared 38812 patients with IBD to ageand sex-matched non-IBD controls with a ratio of 1:3.Patients newly diagnosed with ESRD were identified with the ICD-10 code.RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 4.9 years, ESRD was detected in 79(0.2%) patients with IBD and 166(0.1%)controls. The incidence of ESRD in patients with IBD was0.42 per 1000 person-years. Patients with IBD had a significantly higher risk of ESRD than controls [adjusted hazard ratio(HR) = 3.03; 95% confidence interval(CI):1.77-5.20; P 0.001]. The incidences(per 1000 personyears)of ESRD were 0.51 in patients with CD and 0.13 in controls, respectively(adjusted HR = 6.33; 95%CI:2.75-14.56; P 0.001). In contrast, the incidence of ESRD was similar between the UC and control groups(0.37 vs 0.37 per 1000 person-years; adjusted HR = 2.01;95%CI: 0.90-4.51; P = 0.089).CONCLUSION The risk of ESRD was elevated in patients with CD, but not UC. Patients with CD should be monitored carefully for signs of renal insufficiency.     

Peripheral neuropathy in inflammatory bowel disease patients: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

Introduction. Survival of upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer depends on early stage diagnosis. Symptom-based guidelines and fast-track referral systems have been implemented for use in general practice. To improve diagnosis of upper GI cancer, knowledge on prevalence of alarm symptoms in the general population and subsequent healthcare-seeking is needed. Material and methods. A nationwide study of 100,000 adults, who were randomly selected from the general population were invited to participate in an internet-based survey. People aged ≥45 years were included in this study. Items regarding experience of specific and nonspecific alarm symptoms of upper GI cancer within the preceding 4 weeks and contact to general practitioner (GP) were included. Results. Of the 60,562 subjects aged ≥45 years, 33,040 (54.6%) completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of the specific alarm symptoms ranged between 1.1% (“repeated vomiting”) and 3.4% (“difficulty swallowing”). Women had higher odds of experiencing “repeated vomiting” and “persistent and recent-onset abdominal pain”, but lower odds of experiencing “upper GI bleeding”. The proportion of people contacting their GP with each of the four specific alarm symptoms ranged from 24.3% (“upper GI bleeding”) to 39.9% (“repeated vomiting”). For each combination of two specific alarm symptoms, at least 52% contacted their GP. Conclusion. The specific alarm symptoms of upper GI cancer are not very prevalent in the general population. The proportion of GP contacts with each of the four specific symptoms varied between 24.3% and 39.9%. The proportion of GP contacts was higher in the older age and with combinations of two symptoms.     

Risk of haematopoietic cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Several chronic inflammatory conditions are associated with an increased risk of lymphoma. Whether this applies to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still unclear but of paramount interest, particularly in the safety evaluation of newer immunosuppressive drugs. Reports also indicate a possible increase in the risk of leukaemia in IBD. We therefore assessed the risk of haematopoietic cancers in a large cohort of patients with IBD.Subjects and METHODS: We performed a population based cohort study using prospectively recorded data, including 47 679 Swedish patients with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) assembled from regional cohorts of IBD from 1955 to 1990 (n = 8028) and from the Inpatient Register of 1964-2000 (n = 45 060), with follow up until 2001. Relative risks were expressed as standardised incidence ratios (SIR). RESULTS: Overall, we observed 264 haematopoietic cancers during follow up, which corresponded to a borderline significant 20% increased risk in both UC and CD. In UC, lymphomas occurred as expected (SIR 1.0, n = 87) but myeloid leukaemia occurred significantly more often than expected (SIR 1.8, n = 32). In CD, there was a borderline significant increased lymphoma risk (SIR 1.3, n = 65), essentially confined to the first years of follow up. Proxy markers of disease activity had little impact on lymphoma risk. CONCLUSION: On average, patients with IBD have a marginally increased risk of haematopoietic cancer. In UC, this is accounted for by an excess of myeloid leukaemia. In CD, a modest short term increase in the risk of lymphoma of unknown significance cannot be excluded but any long term risk increase seems unlikely.     

Idiopathic acute pancreatitis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A multicenter cohort study

BackgroundIdiopathic acute pancreatitis (IAP) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not well characterized. Our purpose was to better understand this condition and its natural history.MethodsRetrospective cohort study conducted at nine Spanish IBD referral centers. Patients with IBD and a first episode of acute pancreatitis (AP) between 1998 and 2018 were included. Patients with a previous episode of AP or a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis were excluded. IAP and non-IAP were compared by multivariate logistic regression and survival analysis.ResultsWe identified 185 patients with IBD (68.7% Crohn’s disease) and a first episode of AP. Thirty-eight of those 185 (20.6%) fulfilled criteria for IAP. There were no severe cases of IAP. On multivariate analysis, AP before IBD diagnosis (21.1% vs. 3.4%, p = 0.04) and ulcerative colitis (52.6% vs. 23.1%, p = 0.002) were significantly more common in IAP. Further work-up was performed in 16/38 (42%) IAP patients, and a cause was identified in 6/16 (37.5%). Median time from AP to the end of follow-up was 6.3 years (3.1–10). Five-year risk of AP recurrence was significantly higher in IAP group (28% vs. 5.1%, log-rank p = 0.001), with a median time to first recurrence of 4.4 months (2.9–12.2).ConclusionsIAP represents the second cause of AP in patients with IBD. It is more frequent in ulcerative colitis, and presents a high risk of recurrence. Additional imaging work-up after a first episode of IAP in IBD patients is highly advisable, as it identifies a cause in more than one-third of cases.     

Increased risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A nationwide population-based study

BACKGROUND Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, could play a role in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation (AF). AIM To investigate the association between IBD and AF development. METHODS We performed a population-based cohort study using records in the Korean National Health Insurance Services database between 2010 and 2014. A total of 37696 patients with IBD (12349 with Crohn’s disease and 25397 with ulcerative colitis) were identified. The incidence rate of newly diagnosed AF in patients with IBD was compared with that in a 3 times larger cohort of 113088 age- and sex-matched controls without IBD. RESULTS During 4.9 ± 1.3 years of follow-up, 1120 patients newly diagnosed with AF (348 in the IBD group and 772 in controls) were identified. After adjustments using multivariable Cox proportional hazards, patients with IBD were at a 36%[95% confidence interval (CI) 20%-54%] higher risk of AF than controls. The association between IBD and the development of AF was stronger in younger than in older patients. Patients without cardiovascular risk factors showed a higher risk of AF primarily. Additionally, patients receiving immun-omodulators [Hazard ration (HR) 1.46, 95%CI 1.31-1.89], systemic corticosteroids (HR 1.37, 95%CI 1.10-1.71), or biologics agents (HR 2.38, 95%CI 1.51-3.75) were at higher risk of AF than patients without them. CONCLUSION IBD significantly increased the risk of AF, and the impact of IBD on developing AF was in patients with moderate to severe disease.     

Risk of acute pancreatitis in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease. A Danish 16-year nationwide follow-up study

BACKGROUND: There are few epidemiologic data about the risk of acute pancreatitis in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases; we therefore wanted to estimate the risk of a first episode of acute pancreatitis in patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in the total Danish population. METHODS: The study included all patients discharged from Danish hospitals with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis registered in the Danish National Registry of Patients in the period from 1977 to 1992. The first episode of acute pancreatitis was identified in the cohort. The observed number of patients with acute pancreatitis was compared with expected numbers on the basis of age, sex, and calendar-specific incidence rates in the general population. RESULTS: Overall, 15,526 patients were discharged and followed up for 112,824 person-years. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for acute pancreatitis was increased both in patients with Crohn's disease (SIR = 4.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.9-6.1) and in those with ulcerative colitis (SIR= 2.1; 95% CI, 1.6-2.8). CONCLUSION: Patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease seem to be at increased risk of acute pancreatitis. Further validation and refinement of this registration-based study are needed.     

Predictors and safety of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis among hospitalized inflammatory bowel disease patients

IntroductionInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) especially during hospitalization. We assessed the safety and predictors of VTE prophylaxis in this population.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of 974 IBD admissions between February 2010 and May 2012. We abstracted data on clinical characteristics, VTE prophylaxis and bleeding events, and conducted multivariate analysis to determine predictors of prophylaxis.ResultsPharmacological VTE prophylaxis was administered to 80% of admissions; 63% were within 24 h of admission. Patients on the surgical service (adjusted OR [aOR], 3.82; 95% CI: 2.00–7.29) and general medicine (aOR, 2.40; 95% CI: 1.39–4.12) were more likely to receive VTE prophylaxis compared to those on the gastroenterology service. Rectal bleeding on admission was associated with lower prophylaxis (aOR, 0.58; 95% CI: 0.35–0.97). The VTE prophylaxis rate increased from 47% to 73% (P < 0.001) on non-surgical services with the introduction of a pharmacist advocate. The rates of major and minor bleeding were similar between patients who did and did not receive VTE prophylaxis (0.26 vs. 0 per 1000 person-days, P = 0.7; 4.18 vs. 2.53 per 1000 person-days, P = 0.4 respectively), and the major bleeding events (n = 2) were post-operative. VTE prophylaxis was not associated with major postoperative bleeding (0.4% vs. 0%, P = 0.96).ConclusionsVTE prophylaxis was more frequent on the surgical service, where standardized protocols exist. The introduction of a pharmacist advocate greatly increased VTE prophylaxis on the non-surgical services. Prophylactic anticoagulation is safe in IBD despite the presence of rectal bleeding on admission.     

Mortality and causes of death in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A nationwide register study in Finland

Background and aimIncreased mortality has been reported in Crohn's disease (CD) but mostly not in ulcerative colitis (UC). We evaluated the overall and cause-specific mortality in a nationwide cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Finland.MethodsA total of 21,964 patients with IBD (16,649 with UC and 5315 with CD) from the Special Reimbursement register were diagnosed 1987–1993 and 2000–2007 and followed up to the end of 2010 by collating these figures with the national computerized Cause-of-Death Register of Statistics Finland. In each cause-of-death category, the number of deaths reported was compared to that expected in general population, and expressed as a standardized mortality ratio (SMR).ResultsOverall mortality was increased among patients with CD (SMR 1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.21–1.46) and UC (1.10, 1.05–1.15). SMR was significantly increased for gastrointestinal causes in CD (6.53, 4.91–8.52) and UC (2.81, 2.32–3.34). Patients with UC were found also to have increased SMR from pulmonary (1.24, 1.02–1.46) and cardiovascular disease (1.14, 1.06–1.22) and cancers of the colon (1.90, 1.38–2.55), rectum (1.79, 1.14–2.69) and biliary tract (5.65, 3.54–8.54), whereas SMR from alcohol-related deaths was decreased (0.54, 0.39–0.71). Patients with CD had a significantly increased SMR for pulmonary diseases (2.01, 1.39–2.80), infections (4.27, 2.13–7.63) and cancers of the biliary tract (4.51, 1.23–11.5) and lymphoid and hematopoietic tissue (2.95, 1.85–4.45).ConclusionsIn this Finnish nationwide study increased overall mortality in both CD and UC was observed. The excess mortality of 14 % in IBD is mainly due to deaths related to inflammation in the gut.     

Venous thromboembolism with inflammatory bowel disease

Venous thrombosis and thromboembolism appear to be increased in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Although several acquired and genetic risk factors are known, about half that develop a thromboembolic event have no identifiable risk factor. Control of the inflammatory process is thought to be the key factor in risk reduction for thrombotic events. Prophylactic use of anticoagulants is not universally recommended, but possible use should be reviewed in an individual patient after evaluation of the risks, such as hemorrhage, compared to potential benefits. Particular consideration should be given if there has been a prior thrombotic event, if hospitalization will require surgery, or if an underlying coagulation disorder is present.