Treat to target in inflammatory bowel disease: a survey of treatment strategies amongst Portuguese doctors.

BACKGROUND: treatment goals in inflammatory bowel disease have changed over the last few years and have shifted from a mainly symptom-based management to objective endpoints, such as mucosal healing and deep remission. A treat-to-target strategy to achieve these goals has been proposed by several experts, although the real-life clinical data is still lacking. This study aimed to investigate the current practices among Portuguese gastroenterologists who treat inflammatory bowel disease patients. METHODS: Portuguese gastroenterologists were asked to participate in an anonymous online survey. The questions focused on opinions and current practice with regard to treatment targets in inflammatory bowel disease. RESULTS: sixty-two physicians agreed to participate in the survey, 40 were gastroenterology specialists and 22 (35.5%) were fellows. Deep remission was considered as the main treatment goal for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis by 82% and 83.9% of the participants, respectively. Mucosal healing as a treatment target was used by 95% and 80% of participants in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, respectively; 71% intensified the treatment to achieve mucosal healing after clinical remission. The most common definition of mucosal healing in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis was the absence of mucosal ulceration (32.3%) and a Mayo endoscopic sub-score of 0 (41.9%). Only 3.2% escalated treatment with the aim to achieve histologic remission in ulcerative colitis. CONCLUSION: a treat-to-target strategy to achieve mucosal healing and deep remission is currently accepted by a substantial number of Portuguese gastroenterologists.

Predicting short-term and long-term mortality of hospitalized Portuguese patients with alcoholic hepatitis.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol abuse can result in a spectrum of liver injury that ranges from mild fatty infiltration to alcoholic hepatitis (AH), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The present study aimed to evaluate current scoring systems in predicting short-term and long-term mortality because of AH. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of 170 consecutive patients with AH admitted to a tertiary center between January 2005 and October 2015 were reviewed. Clinical and biochemical parameters were retrieved for the assessment of AH scores for the day of admission (D1) and for the seventh day of hospitalization (D7). Endpoints included admission to the ICU, and 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality. RESULTS: The Maddrey discriminant function and the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) were modest predictors of the need for ICU admission. In-hospital, 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality were 15.9, 18.2, 21.8, and 30.0%, respectively. There was a numerical, albeit nonsignificant, trend for higher accuracy using D7 scores, especially the MELD, in predicting 30-day and 1-year mortality. Overall, all scores showed high negative predictive values (30 day: 91.2-98.7% and 1 year: 78.8-93.7%), but modest positive predictive values (30 day: 30.6-70.8% and 1 year: 42.1-61.2%). Survival rates were the highest among patients showing a decrease in the MELD, Glasgow Alcoholic Hepatitis Score, and Age, serum Bilirubin, International normalized ratio, and serum Creatinine score over the first week of admission. DISCUSSION: AH scores were comparable in identifying patients at low risk of mortality up to 1 year following admission. Reassessment of the MELD, Glasgow Alcoholic Hepatitis Score, and Age, serum Bilirubin, International normalized ratio, and serum Creatinine score scores after 1 week further improved mortality prediction.

Transmural Healing Is Associated with Improved Long-term Outcomes of Patients with Crohn's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Mucosal healing (MH) is currently accepted as one of the best treatment targets in Crohn's disease. However, even in patients with sustained MH, residual bowel wall inflammation can still be detected by cross-sectional imaging. The long-term benefits of obtaining transmural healing (TH) have not been previously assessed. METHODS: We performed an observational study including 214 patients with Crohn's disease with a magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) and colonoscopy performed within a 6-month interval. Patients were classified as having TH (inactive MRE and colonoscopy), MH (active MRE with inactive colonoscopy), or no healing (active colonoscopy). Need for surgery, hospital admission, and therapy escalation were evaluated at 12 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Patients with TH presented lower rates of hospital admission, therapy escalation, and surgery than patients with MH or no healing. In logistic regression analysis, endoscopic remission (odds ratio 0.331 95% confidence interval [0.178-0.614], P < 0.001) and MRE remission (odds ratio 0.270 95% confidence interval [0.130-0.564], P < 0.001) were independently associated with a lower likelihood of reaching any unfavorable outcome. CONCLUSIONS: TH is associated with improved long-term outcomes in Crohn's disease and may be a more suitable target than MH.

Severe ischemic colitis following olanzapine use - A case report.

Ischemic colitis is the most common subtype of intestinal ischemia usually resulting from vasospasm, vessel occlusion or mesenteric hypoperfusion. Neuroleptics have seldom been linked to ischemic colitis by blocking peripheral anticholinergic and antiserotonergic receptors inducing severe gastrointestinal paresis. We report a young patient with severe ischemic colitis requiring surgery due to necrosis of the bowel. After exclusion of other potential causes, olanzapine was admitted as the cause of ischemia. Clinicians should be aware of how to recognize and treat the potentially life-threatening effects of neuroleptics.

The Role of Routine Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Before Bariatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Obesity remains a major health concern for which surgery has proven to be the most effective treatment in the long term. Routine upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) is recommended before surgery, but few studies have evaluated its impact on postoperative complications. METHODS: We studied a cohort of 613 patients submitted to UGE before being listed for bariatric surgery between May 2004 and May 2015. A logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate potential predictors of postoperative complications. RESULTS: Three hundred forty-five patients (56.3 %) presented abnormal endoscopic findings. Helicobacter pylori (Hp) was the strongest predictor of an abnormal endoscopy (OR 10.343, 95 % CI [3.970-26.943], p < 0.001). Of the 342 patients who underwent surgery, 43 (12.6%) developed a postsurgical complication and 2 (0.6%) patients died. In regression analysis, endoscopic ulceration was the only predictor of postoperative complications (OR 11.10, 95 % CI [1.80-68.467], p = 0.01). All patients with gastroduodenal ulcers were infected with Hp. CONCLUSIONS: UGE before bariatric surgery can identify a wide range of abnormal findings. Gastric and duodenal ulcers appear to be the major findings associated with postoperative complications. Routine Hp eradication may potentially reduce the risk of postoperative complications and should be attempted in all patients before surgery.

Role of endoscopy after an acute episode of diverticulitis: analysis of a cohort of Portuguese patients from a tertiary referral center.

INTRODUCTION: Acute diverticulitis represents an inflammatory process originating in a colonic diverticulum. Although acute diverticulitis usually follows a benign course - uncomplicated diverticulitis (UCD), up to 25% may develop complicated diverticulitis (CD) including abscesses, fistulas, strictures, and perforation. Current guidelines recommend performing colonoscopy after an episode of acute diverticulitis to rule out colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the literature supporting this recommendation is still scarce. AIM AND METHODS: Our aim was to assess the relevance of endoscopy following an acute diverticulitis. Using a large cohort from a tertiary center, we retrospectively evaluated endoscopic and histologic findings in patients with acute diverticulitis confirmed by abdominal ultrasound or computed tomography. Findings were characterized as (a) normal endoscopy (highlighting only the presence of diverticula), (b) abnormal endoscopy with low-grade lesions, and (c) abnormal endoscopy with high-grade lesions. RESULTS: A total of 427 patients were evaluated, including 347 cases with UCD and 80 cases with CD. The prevalence of normal findings at endoscopy was 67.3%. An advanced adenoma or neoplasm was found in 23.7%. The estimated number of endoscopies required for diagnosing a CRC was 29 in UCD and 10 in CD. Increasing age and male sex were associated significantly with the presence of polyps at endoscopy. Increasing age was associated with CD and cancer. CONCLUSION: In our series, the prevalence of high-grade lesions and CRC was higher than that in other studies. In our opinion, the findings justify endoscopic evaluation, especially in older patients with CD.