The Role of Tofacitinib in the Treatment of Acute Severe Colitis in Children.

Objectives: Acute severe colitis (ASC) occurs in up to 15 percent of children with ulcerative colitis, with a high index of morbidity and mortality. Treatment includes high-dose steroids, infliximab, and salvage therapies. Unfortunately, up to 20 percent of patients may need an urgent colectomy due to treatment failure. We report our experience using tofacitinib for the treatment of six patients. Methods: A retrospective review of our medical electronic records was conducted. We included every patient with ASC and treatment failure, in whom tofacitinib was used as a salvage therapy. Response, complications, and disease course were noted. Results: Six patients were included with Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI) scores ranging from 65 to 85 on admission, and 35 to 85 before tofacitinib was started (P 0.07). Median response time was 72 h. A median decrease of 40 points in PUCAI was noted (P 0.00001). Mean length of stay was 18 days with discharge 9 days after tofacitinib introduction. Haemoglobin, albumin, fecal calprotectin, and CRP improved after tofacitinib (P 0.02, P 0.02, P 0.025, and P 0.01, respectively). The mean follow-up was 8.5 months, four patients achieved complete remission and only one had a recrudescence of symptoms (P 0.01). One patient had a systemic Epstein-Barr virus infection prior to tofacitinib therapy, which resolved with rituximab treatment. No other complications were noted. Conclusions: Tofacitinib response is rapid and impressive in children suffering from ASC, and the safety profile appears comparable to or better than other available treatments. In the future, tofacitinib should be integrated into pediatric protocols.

Risk Factors of Clinical Relapses in Pediatric Luminal Crohn's Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: There is currently little knowledge on factors associated with the relapse of Crohn's disease (CD) in children. The aims of this study were to describe the risk factors associated with relapse in pediatric CD and the changes in the relapse rate over the past decade. METHODS: Patients younger than 18 years and diagnosed between 2009 and 2019 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Clinical, endoscopic, histological, and laboratory data, as well as induction and maintenance treatments, were collected from the medical records. Survival analyses and Cox regression models were used to assess the impact of these risk factors on relapse. RESULTS: Six hundred thirty-nine patients were included. There was a decrease in the clinical relapse rate over the past decade: 70.9% of the patients diagnosed between 2009 and 2014 relapsed as compared with 49.1% of the patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2019 (P < 0.0001). The following variables were associated with clinical relapse: female sex (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.52, P = 0.0007), exposure to oral 5-ASA (aHR = 1.44, P = 0.04), use of immunomodulatory agents compared with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (methotrexate aHR = 1.73, P = 0.003; thiopurines aHR = 1.63, P = 0.002), presence of granulomas (aHR = 1.34, P = 0.02) and increased eosinophils on intestinal biopsies (aHR = 1.36, P = 0.02), high levels of C-reactive protein (aHR = 1.01, P < 0.0001) and fecal calprotectin (aHR = 1.08, P < 0.0001), and low serum infliximab levels (aHR = 2.32, P = 0.001). DISCUSSION: Relapse of pediatric CD has decreased in the past decade. The risk of relapse is significantly associated with clinical, endoscopic, histological, and laboratory variables and treatment strategies.

Changes in the clinical phenotype and behavior of pediatric luminal Crohn's disease at diagnosis in the last decade.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aims of this study were to describe the trends in the behavior of pediatric CD during the last decade and to describe the seasonal variation of disease presentation. METHODS: Patients under 18 years old and diagnosed between 2009 and 2019 were included. The clinical, endoscopic, histological, and laboratory data were collected from the medical records. We analyzed the trends of these parameters according to the year and season of diagnosis. RESULTS: 654 patients were included in the study. The number of incident CD cases increased yearly. Patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2019 were younger at diagnosis (OR 2.53, p = 0.02), had more perianal diseases (OR: 2.30, p < 0.0001) and more granulomas (OR: 1.61, p = 0.003), but fewer eosinophils (OR: 0.35, p < 0.0001) and less chronic lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate (OR: 0.56, p = 0.008) as compared to the 2009-2014 cohort. There was fewer CD diagnosis during winter. Patients diagnosed in the fall had lower PCDAIs, less failure to thrive and less extensive digestive involvement. Colonic disease was significantly more frequent during summer and fall. CONCLUSION: The clinical and histological phenotype of CD has changed over time and there are important seasonal trends in the frequency and severity on disease behavior suggesting possible disease triggers.

Tofacitinib to Treat Severe Acute Refractory Colitis in a Teenager: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Acute severe colitis (ASC) may occur within 3 months of ulcerative colitis diagnosis in 9%-15% of children and the rate of colectomy is up to 40%-50% within 5 years after an ASC. The aim of this publication is to present recent and relevant data on the success of medical treatment with tofacitinib in ASC. Methods: We report a challenging case of a teenage boy with ASC at diagnosis and conduct a discussion after a review of the literature regarding the use of tofacitinib in inflammatory bowel disease, especially in pediatric patients and in ASC. Results: The patient was hospitalized for 10 weeks and was refractory to conventional therapies: intravenous corticosteroids, infliximab, methotrexate, and vedolizumab. He received 7 blood transfusions and also presented with a severe malnutrition requiring a total parenteral nutrition. Tofacitinib was considered as a medical last resort before colectomy and was started at week 8. Thirteen days after starting tofacitinib, he was asymptomatic and was discharged on tofacitinib as sole treatment. By week 9 of tofacitinib, a colonoscopy showed both endoscopic and histological remission. He has remained in clinical remission at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: Tofacitinib may be an alternative medical treatment to avoid colectomy in ASC. It is a small molecule with a rapid onset and few severe adverse events. It has been used for ASC in adult patients, allowing to avoid colectomy in more than 60%. To our knowledge, this is one of the few pediatric patients with refractory ASC at initial diagnosis who responded to tofacitinib.

Factors associated with time to clinical remission in pediatric luminal Crohn's disease: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Data on factors influencing time to remission in pediatric Crohn's disease (CD) are very limited in the literature. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to describe the trends of time to clinical remission over the past decade and to identify factors associated with time to clinical remission in children with luminal CD. METHODS: Patients under 18 years old diagnosed between 2009 and 2019 were included. All data were collected from the patients' medical records. Survival analyses and linear regression models were used to assess the impact of clinical, laboratory, endoscopic, histological, and therapeutic factors on time to clinical remission. RESULTS: A total of 654 patients were included in the study. There was no change in the time to clinical remission over the decade. Female sex in adolescents (adjusted bêta regression coefficient [aß] = 31.8 days, P = 0.02), upper digestive tract involvement (aß = 46.4 days, P = 0.04) perianal disease (aß = 32.2 days, P = 0.04), presence of active inflammation on biopsies at diagnosis (aß = 46.7 days, P = 0.01) and oral 5-aminosalicylates (5-ASA) exposure (aß = 56.6 days, P = 0.002) were associated with longer time to clinical remission. Antibiotic exposure (aß = -29.3 days, P = 0.04), increased eosinophils (aß = -29.6 days, P = 0.008) and combination of exclusive enteral nutrition with tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors as induction therapy (aß = -36.8 days, P = 0.04) were associated with shorter time to clinical remission. CONCLUSION: In children with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease, time to clinical remission did not shorten during the decade. It was associated with baseline clinical and histological data and treatment strategies. Combination of enteral nutrition and TNF-alpha inhibitors was associated with faster clinical remission.

Oral Lorazepam is not Superior to Placebo for Lowering Stress in Children Before Digestive Endoscopy: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Digestive endoscopies must be performed within a safe and comfortable environment. We have previously shown that the quality of intravenous sedation is influenced by preoperative stress. AIM: Our primary objective was to compare the effects of oral lorazepam and placebo on the salivary cortisol response of children undergoing a digestive endoscopy. Secondary objectives were the assessment of procedural pain and comfort as well as the occurrence of adverse events. METHODS: Participants were randomized and received either lorazepam, placebo, or no premedication. Saliva was collected upon arrival at the hospital and 1 h following randomization. The sedation protocol included midazolam and fentanyl ± ketamine. Procedural pain was evaluated with the Nurse Assessed Patient Comfort Score (NAPCOMS). Patients completed a postoperative questionnaire. The primary outcome was defined as the proportion of children having a cortisol decrease ≥ 15 nmol/L. RESULTS: 101 participants (54 females) were included. The rate of children having a cortisol decrease ≥ 15 nmol/L was 27.3%, 35.3%, and 19.4% for lorazepam, placebo, and no premedication, respectively (p = 0.356). The median (IQR) NAPCOMS pain score was 3.0 (0-6) for lorazepam, 4.4 (0-6) for placebo, and 3.4 (3-4) for no premedication (p = 0.428). With lorazepam, 75.9% of children reported experiencing a comfortable procedure, compared with 41.9% taking placebo and 34.5% with no premedication (p = 0.013). Transient tachycardia was the most frequent intraoperative adverse event, particularly with lorazepam (62.5%, p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: Oral lorazepam had no effect on patients' preoperative stress, as measured by salivary cortisol, but was associated with a higher rate of comfortable procedures. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier NCT03180632.

Very Early-Onset Inflammatory Manifestations of X-Linked Chronic Granulomatous Disease.

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare primary immune deficiency caused by mutations in genes coding for components of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, characterized by severe and recurrent bacterial and fungal infections, together with inflammatory complications. Dysregulation of inflammatory responses are often present in this disease and may lead to granulomatous lesions, most often affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) and urinary tracts. Treatment of inflammatory complications usually includes corticosteroids, whereas antimicrobial prophylaxis is used for infection prevention. Curative treatment of both infectious susceptibility and inflammatory disease can be achieved by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We report herein three patients with the same mutation of the CYBB gene who presented with very early-onset and severe GI manifestations of X-linked CGD. The most severely affected patient had evidence of antenatal inflammatory involvement of the GI and urinary tracts. Extreme hyperleukocytosis with eosinophilia and high inflammatory markers were observed in all three patients. A Mycobacterium avium lung infection and an unidentified fungal lung infection occurred in two patients both during their first year of life, which is indicative of the severity of the disease. All three patients underwent bone marrow transplantation and recovered fully from their initial symptoms. To our knowledge, these are the first reports of patients with such an early-onset and severe inflammatory manifestations of CGD.

Capsule endoscopy in the pediatric patient.

Wireless capsule endoscopy represents an extraordinary technical innovation in diagnostic gastrointestinal endoscopy. As in adult patients, it opens new horizons that permit an accurate and noninvasive approach to identifying occult lesions in the small bowel in children and adolescents. A limitation in the pediatric age group is the size of the capsule, precluding its use in infants and small toddlers. In children unable to swallow the capsule, "front loading" the gastroscope to introduce it into the duodenum is a suitable alternative approach. Capsule endoscopy is highly useful to evaluate for inflammatory changes in patients suspected to have small bowel Crohn's disease in whom conventional imaging failed to confirm the diagnosis. It is now the method of first choice to assess for small bowel polyps or tumors, to find a source of blood loss in obscure intestinal bleeding, and for undiagnosed malabsorptive conditions such as intestinal lymphangiectasia. Capsule retention is the one major potential adverse effect of capsule endoscopy. In patients suspected to have a small bowel stenosis, consideration should be given to using the patency capsule prior to using the real videocapsule so as to decrease the risk of capsule retention.

Guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease in children: recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy caused by a permanent sensitivity to gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. It occurs in children and adolescents with gastrointestinal symptoms, dermatitis herpetiformis, dental enamel defects, osteoporosis, short stature, delayed puberty and persistent iron deficiency anemia and in asymptomatic individuals with type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, Williams syndrome, selective immunoglobulin (Ig)A deficiency and first degree relatives of individuals with celiac disease. The Celiac Disease Guideline Committee of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition has formulated a clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric celiac disease based on an integration of a systematic review of the medical literature combined with expert opinion. The Committee examined the indications for testing, the value of serological tests, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing and histopathology and the treatment and monitoring of children with celiac disease. It is recommended that children and adolescents with symptoms of celiac disease or an increased risk for celiac disease have a blood test for antibody to tissue transglutaminase (TTG), that those with an elevated TTG be referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist for an intestinal biopsy and that those with the characteristics of celiac disease on intestinal histopathology be treated with a strict gluten-free diet. This document represents the official recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition on the diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease in children and adolescents.

Practical considerations for the identification and follow-up of children with celiac disease.

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy affecting 0.5% to 1% of children and is induced by dietary gluten in susceptible individuals carrying the human leukocyte antigen DQ2 or DQ8 heterodimer. If serological screening is positive or if a patient displays suggestive symptoms, an endoscopic biopsy of the distal duodenum is required to confirm the diagnosis. Symptoms of celiac disease are often mild or absent. Overt malabsorption occurs in only 2% to 10% of children. Individuals with a higher risk of developing celiac disease, including first-degree relatives of affected patients and children with type I diabetes, Turner syndrome, Williams syndrome or Down syndrome, should be offered screening for celiac disease along with a discussion of the implications. If serological testing is negative, a high index of suspicion should remain if malabsorption, iron deficiency or osteopenia is present. Also, immunoglobulin A deficiency should be excluded. At-risk individuals should undergo serial serological screening. Lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet is the only treatment. If left untreated, symptomatic children with celiac disease carry an increased risk of developing osteoporosis and have a greater lifetime risk of cancer. The long-term outcome of undiagnosed or untreated asymptomatic individuals is less clear.