Clinical importance of weight gain and associated factors in patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis: results from the MOSAIK cohort in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Many patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) gain weight after treatment. However, the clinical significance of weight gain in these patients remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate body weight changes after treatment in patients newly diagnosed with moderate-to-severe UC and their effects on patients' prognosis. METHODS: The change in weight between diagnosis and 1 year after treatment in 212 patients enrolled in the MOSAIK cohort (mean age, 40 years; males, 60%) was analyzed. Significant weight gain was defined as a weight increase of ≥ 5% from the baseline at 1 year. Factors associated with significant weight gain and the effect of significant weight gain on the risk of major adverse outcomes (clinical relapse, hospitalization, and new use of steroids or biologics) during a follow-up period of 20 months were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean weight gain at 1 year was 1.7 ± 4.2 kg. The proportion of overweight/obese patients increased by 9.0% from 37.9% to 46.9%. Thirty-two percent had significant weight gain; extensive colitis at diagnosis was the only factor associated with significant weight gain (odds ratio 6.5, 95% confidence interval 1.4-31.0, p = 0.006). In multivariable analysis, significant weight gain was not associated with the risk of major adverse outcomes. Weight loss symptoms at diagnosis were associated with an increased risk for new steroid use after 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-third of patients with moderate-to-severe UC had significant weight gain after 1 year of treatment. However, significant weight gain was not associated with the patient's prognosis.

Early course of newly diagnosed moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis in Korea: Results from a hospital-based inception cohort study (MOSAIK).

BACKGROUND AND AIM: No inception cohort study has ever evaluated the early course of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC) within 1 year of diagnosis in the non-Caucasian population. We aimed to investigate the early clinical course of moderate-to-severe UC patients in terms of remission, relapse, UC-related hospitalizations, colectomy, mortality, and overall use of medications. METHODS: In the MOSAIK inception cohort, which is an ongoing multicenter, prospective, hospital-based, observational cohort, 354 patients with moderate-to-severe UC were followed up for 1 year. Main outcomes of UC and predictive factors for medication use over the course of 1 year were evaluated. RESULT: Among 354 patients, 276 (78.0%) patients were followed up for 1 year. The rates of remission, relapse, UC-related hospitalizations, and proximal disease extension were 95.3%, 39.6%, 15.2%, and 12.3%, respectively. Systemic corticosteroids, thiopurines, and biologics were administered to 61.2%, 30.4%, and 10.5% of patients, respectively, throughout 1 year. One year after, 58.2% patients experienced remission or mild endoscopic activity. Overall disease courses did not show much difference according to moderate or severe disease activity at baseline. In addition, no colectomy and mortality were observed for 1 year. Predictive factors for medication use included disease severity, disease extent, endoscopic severity, and presence of periappendiceal inflammation at baseline for corticosteroid, disease extent and initial corticosteroid use for thiopurine, and only initial corticosteroid use for biologics. CONCLUSION: Korean patients with moderate-to-severe UC may have more favorable early outcomes than Western patients. However, outcomes of them need to be further looked into for a longer time.

Sleep disorders in patients with functional dyspepsia: A multicenter study from the Korean Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The few studies concerning the association between sleep disorders and functional dyspepsia (FD) have yielded inconsistent results. We compared the prevalence of sleep disorders in patients with FD and healthy controls, and evaluated whether FD was independently associated with sleep disorders, and the risk factors for sleep disorders in patients with FD. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2014 to December 2017 at 12 hospitals in South Korea. The inclusion criterion was the presence of FD (for ≥18 years) according to the Rome III criteria. Healthy controls were recruited from among patients who visited the Health Examination Center for check-ups. RESULTS: In total, 526 subjects were prospectively enrolled in this study (201 with FD and 325 healthy controls). The prevalence of sleep disorders was significantly higher among the patients with FD than among the healthy controls (41.8% vs 18.8%, P = 0.000). In a multivariate analysis, FD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.851; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.194-2.870; P = 0.006), female sex (OR = 1.672; 95% CI 1.063-2.628; P = 0.026), and anxiety (OR = 3.325; 95% CI 2.140-5.166; P = 0.000) were independent risk factors for sleep disorders in the overall cohorts. In patients with FD only, low body mass index, heartburn, and anxiety were independent risk factors for sleep disorders in a further multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Sleep disorders were common in patients with FD. FD was significantly associated with sleep disorders in our patient population, irrespective of the presence of heartburn or psychiatric disorders.

Impact of Endoscopists' Personality Traits on Adenoma and Polyp Detection Rates in Colonoscopy: A KASID Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: The personality traits of endoscopists have been suggested to affect the adenoma detection rate (ADR). We thus evaluated the relationship between endoscopists' personality traits and the ADR during colonoscopy using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). METHODS: In total, 1230 patients (asymptomatic and aged 50-80 years) who underwent screening or surveillance (≥ 5 years) colonoscopy were recruited from 13 university hospitals by 20 endoscopists between September 2015 and December 2017. We retrospectively measured the ADR, polyp detection rate (PDR), and number of adenomas per colonoscopy (APC). All 20 endoscopists completed all 567 true/false MMPI-2 items. RESULTS: The overall mean colonoscopy withdrawal time, PDR, ADR, and APC were 7.3 ± 2.8 min, 55%, 45.3%, and 0.97 ± 1.58, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the MMPI-2 clinical scales (e.g., hypochondriasis and psychasthenia), content scales (e.g., obsessiveness and type A character), or supplementary scales (e.g., dominance and social responsibility) between the high ADR group (ADR ≥45%, n = 10) and the low ADR group (ADR < 45%, n = 10). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the ADR was associated significantly with patient age and sex. The ADR was related significantly to endoscopists' colonoscopy experience and the per-minute increase in the colonoscopy withdrawal time (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.06-1.38, p = 0.005). In a logistic regression analysis adjusted for patient factors, the ADR was associated significantly with ego strength (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00-1.09, p = 0.044), as measured by the MMPI-2. CONCLUSIONS: With the exception of ego strength, the endoscopists' personality traits were not associated with adenoma or polyp detection.

Acetic acid chromoendoscopy for determining the extent of gastric intestinal metaplasia.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The diagnosis of gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM) is currently performed by histologic assessment of multiple endoscopic biopsies, methylene blue chromoendoscopy, or narrow-band imaging with magnification. However, practical and readily available methods are lacking. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy and reproducibility of acetic acid chromoendoscopy (AAC) for determining the extent of gastric IM. METHODS: One hundred twenty-six participants were enrolled. The participants underwent screening EGD with 1.5% acetic acid instillation for the detection of acetowhite reaction. Subsequently, targeted biopsies were performed at the 5 standard intra-gastric locations of the updated Sydney system. The accuracy of AAC was calculated using the histology results as a reference. Two endoscopists, each of whom was blinded to the other's result, determined the presence or absence of acetowhite reaction. RESULTS: The overall diagnostic accuracy of AAC was 89.0%, and the sensitivity and specificity were 77.6% and 94.4%, respectively. The specificity for the gastric body was >94%. The proportion of extensive IM, a strong risk factor for gastric cancer, increased from 0.9% to 18.1% when AAC was used instead of conventional EGD alone (P < .001). Endoscopically determined atrophy had a negative effect on the diagnosis of AAC (odds ratio, 3.012; 95% confidence interval, 1.625-5.583). There was substantial inter- and intra-observer agreement. CONCLUSIONS: AAC is a valid and reproducible tool for determining the extent of gastric IM and may serve as a practical method of identifying populations at high risk of gastric cancer. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT01499576.).

Quality of life, patient satisfaction, and disease burden in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease with or without laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have decreased health-related quality of life (HRQL). The quality of life in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) symptoms is also significantly impaired. However, the impact of LPR symptoms on HRQL in GERD patients has not been studied. METHODS: A nationwide, random-sample, and face-to-face survey of 300 Korean patients with GERD was conducted from January to March 2013. Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms were assessed using the Rome III questionnaire, LPR symptoms using the reflux symptom index, and HRQL using the EuroQol five dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire. A structured questionnaire on patient satisfaction, sickness-related absences, and health-related work productivity was also used. RESULTS: Among the 300 patients with GERD, 150 had LPR symptoms. The mean EQ-5D index was lower in patients with GERD and LPR symptoms than in those without LPR (0.88 vs 0.91, P = 0.002). A linear regression model showed that the severity of LPR symptoms was related to decreased HRQL and was independent of age, marital status, body mass index, or household income. The overall satisfaction rate regarding treatment was lower in patients with GERD and LPR (40.0% vs 69.1%, P = 0.040). GERD patients with LPR symptoms reported greater sickness-related absent hours per week (0.36 vs 0.02 h, P = 0.016) and greater percentages of overall work impairment than those without LPR (31.1% vs 20.8%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Gastroesophageal reflux disease patients with LPR symptoms have a poorer HRQL, a lower satisfaction rate, and a greater disease burden than those without LPR.

Influence of age at diagnosis on the clinical characteristics of Crohn's disease in Korea: Results from the CONNECT study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The present study evaluated the clinical characteristics of Korean patients with Crohn's disease (CD) according to their age at diagnosis in a nationwide multicenter cohort study. METHODS: A total of 1224 patients diagnosed with CD between 1982 and 2008 in 32 hospitals were included, and age at diagnosis was categorized as ≤ 16 (G1), 17-40 (G2), 41-59 (G3) and ≥ 60 (G4) years old. The baseline characteristics, medication, and intestinal resection were compared according to the age at diagnosis. RESULTS: The number of patients in each age group was 155 (G1; 12.7%), 919 (G2; 75.1%), 120 (G3; 9.8%), and 30 (G4; 2.5%). The frequencies of ileocolonic disease in the late adult onset and elderly onset groups were lower than those in the other groups (P < 0.001). The cumulative probabilities of thiopurine and anti-tumor necrosis factor use in late adult onset and elderly onset groups were significantly reduced compared with those of the other groups (P < 0.01). However, the risk of the first intestinal resection was not different among the age groups. The ileal location (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-2.27), complicated behavior (HR: 3.35; 95% CI: 2.63-4.27), and early thiopurine use (HR: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.17-0.43) were associated with the first intestinal resection, whereas the age at diagnosis was not a risk factor. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly onset CD may be related to favorable outcomes in Korea. Thus, the heterogeneity of this disease should be considered when developing a tailored strategy for the treatment of CD.

Risks of colorectal advanced neoplasia in young adults versus those of screening colonoscopy in patients aged 50 to 54 years.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The role of screening or diagnostic colonoscopy to detect advanced neoplasia in young cohorts of age < 50 is unclear. This study compared the risk of colorectal neoplasia in a young age cohort against that in 50-54s screening cohort. METHODS: A multi-center retrospective study was conducted at 14 university hospitals to compare the detection rates of neoplasia and advanced neoplasia in screening or diagnostic colonoscopy in the young cohort of < 50s against those in screening colonoscopy in the 50-54s cohort. RESULTS: Among 10 477 eligible subjects, 9765 subjects were enrolled after excluding 712 subjects. Advanced neoplasia detection rates in the young screening cohort was significantly lower than that in the 50-54s screening cohort (5.9% vs 9.3%, P < 0.001). Compared with 50-54s screening cohort, the risk of advanced neoplasia was significantly reduced by 23%, 53%, and 54% in the 45-49s, 40-44s, and 20-39s screening cohorts, respectively. The detection rates of advanced neoplasia in the young diagnostic cohort was 5.0%, which was much lower than 11.8% in 50-54s screening cohort (P < 0.001). Compared with the 50-54s screening cohort, the risk of advanced neoplasia was significantly reduced by 50%, 66%, and 71% in the 45-49s, 40-44s, and 20-39s diagnostic cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Colonoscopy to detect advanced neoplasia in young adults aged < 50 years should be reconsidered as their risk of advanced neoplasia on screening or diagnostic colonoscopy was much lower than those of 50-54s screening cohort; however, colonoscopy screening may be justified for high-risk 45-49s cohorts.

Predictive Factors for Differentiating Between Crohn's Disease and Intestinal Tuberculosis in Koreans.

OBJECTIVES: A differential diagnosis between intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) and Crohn's disease (CD) is challenging. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical, endoscopic, and histological features and to create a predictive score model for differentiating CD and ITB. METHODS: In total, 261 patients, 99 with ITB and 162 with CD, were recruited from seven tertiary centers from 2005 to 2013 and reviewed retrospectively. For the creation of a validated model, parameters were selected by univariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. Then, the prediction model was established on the basis of ß-coefficients of the multivariate logistic regression. For the validation of the model, the same regression equation was tested on the other group. RESULTS: Age, diarrhea, ring-shaped ulcer, longitudinal ulcer, sigmoid involvement, suspicious radiological pulmonary tuberculosis, and gender were selected as the factors for a seven-marker model. In the seven-marker model of the validation data set, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value with a cutoff level of 0.35 were 98.0, 92.4, 88.9, and 98.6, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The seven-marker model seems to be highly reliable for differentiating between ITB and CD and could be conveniently used by clinicians to obtain results.

Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Rectal Neuroendocrine Tumors According to the Pathologic Status After Initial Endoscopic Resection: A KASID Multicenter Study.

OBJECTIVES: With advances in diagnostic endoscopy, the detection of rectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) has increased. However, clinical outcomes, especially after endoscopic treatment, are still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the long-term clinical outcomes of endoscopically resected rectal NETs according to the pathologic status after initial resection. METHODS: In this large, multicenter, retrospective cohort study, we analyzed the medical records of patients who underwent endoscopic resection of rectal NETs and were followed for ≥24 months at 16 university hospitals. The outcomes of interest were local or distant recurrence and metachronous lesions. RESULTS: On the pathologic assessment of 407 patients, the resection margin status was positive in 76 (18.7%) and indeterminate in 72 (17.7%) patients. Patients whose rectal NETs were diagnosed or suspected as NETs before resection showed a much higher complete resection rate than those whose tumors were resected as polyps and then diagnosed (P<0.001). Fourteen patients received salvage treatment at 1.9±2.8 months after initial treatment. During a median follow-up period of 45.0 months, local recurrence occurred in 3 (0.74%) patients, but there was no recurrence in the lymph nodes or distant organs. Metachronous rectal NETs were diagnosed in 3 (0.74%) patients. According to the pathologic status after initial resection, local recurrence and metachronous lesions occurred in 1 (0.4%) and 2 (0.8%) patients, respectively, in the pathologic tumor-free group, whereas they occurred in 2 (1.4%) and 1 (0.7%) patients, respectively, in the indeterminate group. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the long-term prognosis including that for recurrences or metachronous lesions, endoscopic resection is an efficient and a safe modality for the treatment of rectal NETs. This treatment may result in favorable clinical outcomes in patients with tumors of indeterminate pathology, as well as in pathologic tumor-free cases after initial resection.

Eradication Rates of Helicobacter pylori in Korea Over the Past 10 years and Correlation of the Amount of Antibiotics Use: Nationwide Survey.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of proton-pump inhibitor-amoxicillin-clarithromycin therapy for H. pylori eradication has decreased over time. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the trend of H. pylori eradication rates over the last 10 years and the relationship between the eradication rates and the amount of macrolide antibiotic use in a country with a high prevalence of H. pylori infection. METHODS: This vast nationwide multicenter study was conducted with 34,139 adults treated for H. pylori infection from January 2001 to December 2010. The defined daily dose per km(2) (DSD) of macrolide antibiotics was calculated (n = 141,019) using the Health Insurance Review & Assessment data base from 2008 to 2010 in the two cities which had the lowest (Jeju city) or highest (Chuncheon city) eradication rate. RESULTS: The eradication rates of proton-pump inhibitor-amoxicillin-clarithromycin therapy ranged 84.9-87.5% from 2001 to 2007, and those of 2008 to 2010 ranged 80.0-81.4% with a decreasing trend (p < 0.0001). The decreasing trend of eradication rates for the overall first-line therapy was observed only in three of the seven geographic areas in Korea (p < 0.0001). The DSD of macrolide antibiotics was significantly higher in Jeju than Cheunchon city (0.85 vs 0.52, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori eradication rates with clarithromycin-containing triple therapy in Korea showed a decreasing trend over the past 10 years, although the trend varied among geographic areas. This difference may be associated with the amount of macrolide antibiotic use.

Predictors of Urgent Findings on Abdominopelvic CT in Patients with Crohn's Disease Presenting to the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) are frequently exposed to diagnostic radiation, mainly as a result of abdominopelvic computed tomography (APCT) examinations. However, there are limited data on the impact of APCT on clinical management in this population. AIM: To investigate clinical predictors of urgent findings on APCT in patients with CD who presented to the emergency department (ED). METHODS: A retrospective study was performed among patients with CD presenting to 11 EDs with a gastrointestinal complaint. The primary outcome, OPAN (obstruction, perforation, abscess, or non-CD-related urgent findings), included new or worsening CD-related urgent findings or non-CD-related urgent findings that required urgent or emergency treatment. Variables with P < 0.1 in univariate analyses were included in a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: Of the 266 APCTs performed, 103 (38.7 %) had OPAN and 113 (42.5 %) required changes in treatment plan. Stricturing or penetrating disease (odds ratio [OR] 2.72, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.21-6.13), heart rate >100 beats/min (OR 2.33, 95 % CI 1.10-4.93), leukocyte count >10,000/mm(3) (OR 4.38, 95 % CI 2.10-9.13), and CRP >2.5 mg/dL (OR 3.11, 95 % CI 1.23-7.86) were identified as the independent predictors of OPAN, whereas biologic agent use (OR 0.37; 95 % CI 0.15-0.90) was identified as the negative predictor in patients with CD. CONCLUSIONS: Only 39 % of the APCTs performed in the ED among patients with CD showed urgent findings. Stricturing or penetrating disease, tachycardia, leukocytosis, and high CRP level were predictors of urgent CT findings, while biologic agent use was a negative predictor. To reduce unnecessary radiation exposure, the selection process for CD patients referred for APCT must be improved.

Meta-analysis of predictive clinicopathologic factors for lymph node metastasis in patients with early colorectal carcinoma.

The objective of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to determine risk factors that may facilitate patient selection for radical resections or additional resections after a polypectomy. Eligible articles were identified by searches of PUBMED, Cochrane Library and Korean Medical Database using the terms (early colorectal carcinoma [ECC], lymph node metastasis [LNM], colectomy, endoscopic resection). Thirteen cohort studies of 7,066 ECC patients who only underwent radical surgery have been analysed. There was a significant risk of LNM when they had submucosal invasion (≥ SM2 or ≥ 1,000 µm) (odds Ratio [OR], 3.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36-6.62, P = 0.007). Moreover, it has been found that vascular invasion (OR, 2.70; 95% CI, 1.95-3.74; P < 0.001), lymphatic invasion (OR, 6.91; 95% CI, 5.40-8.85; P < 0.001), poorly differentiated carcinomas (OR, 8.27; 95% CI, 4.67-14.66; P < 0.001) and tumor budding (OR, 4.59; 95% CI, 3.44-6.13; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with LNM. Furthermore, another analysis was carried out on eight cohort studies of 310 patients who underwent additional surgeries after an endoscopic resection. The major factors identified in these studies include lymphovascular invasion on polypectomy specimens (OR, 5.47; 95% CI, 2.46-12.17; P < 0.001) and poorly or moderately differentiated carcinomas (OR, 4.07; 95% CI, 1.08-15.33; P = 0.04). For ECC patients with ≥ SM2 or ≥ 1,000 µm submucosal invasion, vascular invasion, lymphatic invasion, poorly differentiated carcinomas or tumor budding, it is deemed that a more extensive resection accompanied by a lymph node dissection is necessary. Even if the lesion is completely removed by an endoscopic resection, an additional surgical resection should be considered in patients with poorly or moderately differentiated carcinomas or lymphovascular invasion.

Clinical features and predictors of clinical outcomes in Korean patients with Crohn's disease: a Korean association for the study of intestinal diseases multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Although differences in genetic susceptibility and the clinical features of Crohn's disease (CD) have been reported between Asian and Caucasian patients, the disease course and predictors of CD in Asians remains poorly defined. The study therefore aimed to investigate factors predictive of the clinical outcomes of patients with CD in a Korean population. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter cohort study included 728 Korean CD patients from 13 university hospitals. The first CD-related surgery or need for immunosuppressive or biological agents were regarded as the clinical outcomes of interest. RESULTS: A total of 126 (17.3%) CD patients underwent CD-related surgery, while 473 (65.0%) and 196 (26.9%) were prescribed thiopurine drugs and infliximab, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified current (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.86; P = 0.018) and former smoking habits (HR = 1.78; P = 0.049), stricturing (HR = 2.24; P < 0.001), and penetrating disease behavior at diagnosis (HR = 3.07; P < 0.001) as independent predictors associated with the first CD-related surgery. With respect to immunosuppressive and biological agents, younger age (< 40 years) (HR = 2.17; P < 0.001 and HR = 2.10; P = 0.006, respectively), ileal involvement (HR = 1.36; P = 0.035 and HR = 2.17; P = 0.006, respectively), and perianal disease (HR = 1.42; P = 0.001 and HR = 1.38; P = 0.038, respectively) at diagnosis were significant predictors for the need of these medications. CONCLUSIONS: In Korean patients with CD, stricturing, penetrating disease behavior, and smoking habits at the time of diagnosis are independent predictors for CD-related surgery. It was also identified that younger age (< 40 years), ileal involvement, and perianal disease at diagnosis are predictive of a need for immunosuppressive or biological agents.

Prevalence of uninvestigated dyspepsia and gastroesophageal reflux disease in Korea: a population-based study using the Rome III criteria.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There have been few population-based studies on the prevalences of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and dyspepsia using Rome III criteria in Asian countries. METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted by telephone interviews of 5,000 Koreans between the ages of 20-69 years. Gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed by a translated Korean version of Rome III criteria. Uninvestigated dyspepsia (UID) was defined by symptom criteria of Rome III. GERD was defined by troublesome heartburn and/or acid regurgitation occurring at least once a week. The EQ5D assessment tool was used for the evaluation of quality of life. RESULTS: The prevalences of UID, postprandial distress syndrome (PDS), and epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) were 7.7, 5.6, and 4.2 %, respectively. Overlap between PDS and EPS was found in 27.1 % (104/384) of subjects with UID. There were no significant differences in demographic variables between patients with PDS and EPS. The prevalence of GERD was 7.1 %. Overlap between GERD and UID was found in 50.0 % of GERD patients. The EQ5D index of patients without either UID or GERD was 0.92 ± 0.07, and those of patients with only UID, with only GERD, and with both UID and GERD were 0.88 ± 0.09, 0.88 ± 0.11, and 0.84 ± 0.15, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: GERD and UID based on Rome III criteria were prevalent and significantly affected the quality of life in Korea. In Korean patients with UID, there was considerable overlap and there were no significant differences in demographic variables between PDS and EPS.

Clinical usefulness of double balloon enteroscopy in suspected Crohn's disease: the KASID multi-center trial.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The recently developed double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) may be useful to evaluate small bowel lesions in patients with suspected Crohn's disease (CD). We investigated the findings of DBE, small bowel follow-through and abdominal CT in patients with suspected CD who could not be diagnosed with CD using conventional colonoscopy. METHODOLOGY: Thirty patients (27 males, mean age 32.7±9.27 years) with suspected CD were consecutively enrolled in this study. The main symptoms were abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, weight loss, obscure bleeding, or anemia. These patients were enrolled from May 2006 to January 2007 at 10 tertiary medical centers participating in the Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases. RESULTS: The DBE demonstrated definite CD in 24 patients (80.0%) and suspected findings of CD in six patients. The pathology results obtained by endoscopic biopsies revealed a granuloma in six patients (23.1%). The DBE identified additional findings not detected by radiology studies in 24 patients (80%) although the small bowel followthrough and the abdominal CT revealed the abnormal findings (73.1% and 64%). CONCLUSIONS: DBE may be a promising alternative and useful technique for patients with suspected CD. DBE provides biopsy sampling and more detailed information than radiology studies.

Diagnostic Value of Ileal Lesions Found during Colonoscopy with Reference to Endoscopic Indications and Findings.

The diagnostic value of ileoscopy is not well established, and its routine practice is controversial. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of biopsy for macroscopically abnormal lesions in the terminal ileum and to identify the association between endoscopic indications and findings and the presence of significant disease. This retrospective study included 551 patients who underwent biopsy of abnormal lesions in the terminal ileum (TI) during colonoscopy between February 2000 and June 2019. Biopsy results were analyzed in relation to the endoscopic indications and gross findings. Significant disease was defined as a case in which a specific disease was suspected or confirmed by the biopsy results, requiring additional examination or treatment. Among the 551 biopsies from macroscopically abnormal lesions in the TI, 44 (8.0%) had significant diseases. The frequency of significant disease was high in patients with clinically suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (50.0%), anemia (31.6%), right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain (28.6%), and radiological abnormalities in the TI (27.5%). The frequency of Crohn's disease (CD) was high in patients with clinically suspected IBD. A concurrent abnormality in the ileocecal valve (ICV) (14.3%) and the presence of an ulcer (14.2%), mass, or polyp (25.4%) correlated with a high incidence of significant disease, particularly CD. In cases of suspected IBD, anemia, RLQ pain, and radiologic abnormalities in the TI, there is a high possibility of significant disease. Ulcers, masses, polyps, and concurrent abnormalities in the ICV were also associated with significant disease.

Multi-center study regarding the risk factors for bleeding in gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: In spite of several case reports about gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) complicated with hemorrhage, study regarding the risk factors of bleeding in this tumor is scanty. Therefore, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of bled GISTs and tried to find risk factors of bleeding by comparing with non-bled cases. METHODOLOGY: Medical records of 49 bled GIST cases from 5 university hospitals in Korea between year 2001 to 2010 were compared with 96 non-bled cases. Whole pathological slides were reviewed by an experienced pathologist. RESULTS: Female predominance (58.6%) was noted and the mean age of the included patients was 58.4±13.1 years. In univariate analysis, location of jejunum, prolonged prothrombin time, presence of surface dimpling in CT, cellular pleomorphism and positivity of S100 was significantly dominant in the bled cases. Multivariate analysis showed significant differences in the location of jejunum (p=0.004, OR=3.533), prolonged prothrombin time (p=0003, OR=19.643), presence of surface dimpling (p=0.026, OR=6.250) in CT, and positivity of S100 (p=0.001, OR=12.941). CONCLUSIONS: Location of jejunum, prolonged prothrombin time, presence of surface dimpling in CT, and positivity of S100 are independent risk factors associated with bleeding in GI GIST patients.

Real-world Prescription Patterns and Patient Satisfaction Regarding Maintenance Therapy of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: An Observational, Cross-sectional, Multicenter Study.

Background/Aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common chronic gastrointestinal disorder that typically requires long-term maintenance therapy. However, little is known about patient preferences and satisfaction and real-world prescription patterns regarding maintenance therapy for GERD. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study involved patients from 18 referral hospitals in Korea. We surveyed patients who had been prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for GERD for at least 90 days with a minimum follow-up duration of 1 year. The main outcome was overall patient satisfaction with different maintenance therapy modalities. Results: A total of 197 patients were enrolled. Overall patient satisfaction, patient preferences, and GERD health-related quality of life scores did not significantly differ among the maintenance therapy modality groups. However, the on-demand therapy group experienced a significantly longer disease duration than the continuous therapy group. The continuous therapy group demonstrated a lower level of awareness of potential adverse effects associated with PPIs than the on-demand therapy group but received higher doses of PPIs than the on-demand therapy group. The prescribed doses of PPIs also varied based on the phenotype of GERD, with higher doses prescribed for non-erosive reflux disease than erosive reflux disease. Conclusion: Although overall patient satisfaction did not significantly differ among the different PPI maintenance therapy modality groups, awareness of potential adverse effects was significantly different between the on-demand and continuous therapy groups.

Efficacy and Safety of Fexuprazan in Patients with Acute or Chronic Gastritis.

Background/Aims: Fexuprazan is a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker that could be of benefit to patients with gastric mucosal injury. The aim of this study was to assess the 2-week efficacy and safety of fexuprazan in patients with acute or chronic gastritis. Methods: In this study, 327 patients with acute or chronic gastritis who had one or more gastric erosions on endoscopy and subjective symptoms were randomized into three groups receiving fexuprazan 20 mg once a day (q.d.), fexuprazan 10 mg twice a day (b.i.d.), or placebo for 2 weeks. The posttreatment assessments were the primary endpoint (erosion improvement rate), secondary endpoints (cure rates of erosion and edema and improvement rates of redness, hemorrhage, and subjective symptoms), and drug-related adverse events. Results: Among the patients, 57.8% (59/102), 65.7% (67/102), and 40.6% (39/96) showed erosion improvement 2 weeks after receiving fexuprazan 20 mg q.d., fexuprazan 10 mg b.i.d., and placebo, respectively. Both fexuprazan 20 mg q.d. and 10 mg b.i.d. showed superior efficacy to the placebo (p=0.017 and p<0.001, respectively). Likewise, both fexuprazan 20 mg q.d. and 10 mg b.i.d. also showed higher erosion healing rates than the placebo (p=0.033 and p=0.010, respectively). No difference was noted in the edema healing rate and the improvement rates for redness, hemorrhage, and subjective symptoms between the fexuprazan and placebo groups. No significant difference was noted in the incidence of adverse drug reactions. Conclusions: Fexuprazan 20 mg q.d. and 10 mg b.i.d. for 2 weeks showed therapeutic efficacy superior to that of placebo in patients with acute or chronic gastritis (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04341454).