The following is a summary of “Residual Disease Burden Among European Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Real-World Survey,” published in the June 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Burisch et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess residual disease burden and treatment satisfaction in European patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). The study additionally highlighted the need for improved inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management.

They conducted the Adelphi Real World IBD Disease Specific Programme, a multinational survey exploring disease burden and management (October 2020 and March 2021), and gastroenterologists recruited the following 7 eligible patients with UC and 8 CD, gathering demographics and clinical data. Patients filled out symptom, HRQoL, and treatment satisfaction questionnaires. Data were adjusted for confounding variables, comparing remission (clinical or endoscopic) and patients in non-remission.

The results showed 1,040 patients (UC, n = 502; CD n = 538), most patients were in remission (UC, 66.1%; CD 69.5%), yet the majority still reported symptoms (UC, 63.7%; CD, 74.1%), including flatulence, fatigue/tiredness, and abdominal pain/distension. In UC, no significant differences in the likelihood of experiencing 7 of 23 symptoms between patients in remission and those not in remission. In CD, no significant difference in 19 of 23 symptoms between patients in remission and those not in remission. Several symptoms were significantly associated with reduced HRQoL. The HRQoL was significantly better among patients in remission than those not in remission.

Investigators concluded that patients with IBD, in remission or not, experienced lingering symptoms that diminish the HRQoL, underscoring the need for more comprehensive treatment approaches that consider HRQoL and patient perspectives.

Source: academic.oup.com/ibdjournal/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ibd/izae119/7689664