Effectiveness of Hepatitis B Vaccination for Patients With Inflammatory Bowel and Celiac Disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Guidelines recommend measuring antibody (Ab) titers to hepatitis B virus (HBV) after vaccination for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or celiac disease (CD) ("patients with IBD/CD") and revaccinating when titers are low. Few data, however, support this recommendation. We aimed to compare effectiveness of HBV vaccination (immunity and infection rates) for patients with IBD/CD vs matched referents. METHODS: Using the Rochester Epidemiology Project, we performed a retrospective cohort study of patients first diagnosed with IBD/CD (index date) while residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2019. HBV screening results were obtained from health records. RESULTS: In 1264 incident cases of IBD/CD, only 6 HBV infections were diagnosed before the index date. A total of 351 IBD/CD cases had documented receipt of 2 or more HBV vaccines before their index date and had hepatitis B surface antigen Ab (anti-HBs) titers measured after their index date. The proportion of patients with HBV-protective titers (≥10 mIU/mL) decreased with time before plateauing, with protective titer rates of 45% at 5 up to 10 years and 41% at 15 up to 20 years after the last HBV vaccination. The proportion of referents with protective titers also decreased with time and was consistently higher than the levels of patients with IBD/CD within 15 years after the last HBV vaccination. However, no new HBV infection developed in any of 1258 patients with IBD/CD during a median follow-up of 9.4 years (interquartile range, 5.0-14.1 years). CONCLUSIONS: Routine testing of anti-HBs titers may not be indicated for fully vaccinated patients with IBD/CD. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings in other settings and populations.

Perianal magnetic resonance imaging findings and their potential impact on outcome in children with perianal fistulizing Crohn disease.

BACKGROUND: Children with perianal fistulizing Crohn disease require intensive medical management but also have a higher risk for subsequent surgical interventions. OBJECTIVE: We performed a retrospective study to identify patient factors and perianal anatomical features by pelvic MR that are associated with surgical interventions in these children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included children with Crohn disease and perianal fistula who underwent pelvic MR with available, archived images and collected demographic, clinical and laboratory data. Radiologists reviewed pelvic MR exams and identified Park classification and additional anatomical features of perianal fistulas, including fistula branching, horseshoe ramifications, abscess, inflammatory mass, supralevator extension, anal sphincter damage, proctitis and posterior anal space involvement. We performed univariate and subsequent multivariate analysis to determine features associated with subsequent surgical intervention. RESULTS: Ninety-nine children with Crohn disease underwent pelvic MR. In this cohort, 69 children had no surgical interventions prior to baseline MRI, with subsequent median clinical follow-up of 5.5 years. Univariate analysis demonstrated that branching (P=0.009), supralevator extension (P=0.015) and anal sphincter damage (P=0.031) were significantly associated with subsequent surgical intervention. Age at baseline MRI was also associated with intervention (hazard ratio [HR] every 5 years: 2.13; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-3.83; P=0.012). A multivariable model identified only fistula branching (HR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.28-4.15; P=0.005) and age (HR: 5.18; CI: 1.57-17.14; P=0.007) as independent predictors of subsequent surgery. No demographic, clinical or laboratory parameter predicted subsequent surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: Age and anatomical MR features indicating fistula complexity (branching, supralevator extension) and sphincter damage confer a higher risk of subsequent surgical intervention in children with perianal Crohn disease.