Current knowledge regarding the epidemiology of pouchitis is based on highly selected, mostly single-center, patient cohorts. Our objective was to prospectively determine the population-based incidence of pouchitis in patients with ulcerative colitis in the first 2 years after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis and analyze time trends of the incidence of pouchitis.
Using national registries, we established a population-based cohort of all Danish patients undergoing proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis between 1996 and 2018. The primary outcome was the development of pouchitis within the first 2 years after surgery, evaluated by time period. We used Kaplan Meier and Cox Proportional Hazard modeling to evaluate time to development of pouchitis.
Overall, 1,664 patients underwent an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. The cumulative incidence of pouchitis in the 2 years after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis increased throughout the study period, from 40% in 1996-2000, (95% CI:35%-46%) to 55% in 2015-2018, (95% CI:48%-63%). Patients undergoing surgery between 2015-2018 also demonstrated an increased risk of pouchitis compared to the earliest study period (1996-2000) after adjusting for sex, age, and socioeconomic status (Hazard Ratio 1.57, 95% CI:1.20-2.05).
This first population-based study demonstrated a 15% absolute and 38% relative increase in the incidence of pouchitis among patients undergoing surgery between 1996 and 2018, with the greatest cumulative incidence of pouchitis demonstrated in the most recent era (2015-2018). The striking increase in the incidence of pouchitis highlights the need for further research into causes and prevention of pouchitis.

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