Efficacy and safety of certolizumab pegol induction therapy in an unselected Crohnʼs disease population

Switzerland was the first country to approve certolizumab pegol (Cimzia, CZP) for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD) in September 2007. This phase IV study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CZP in a Swiss multicenter cohort of practice-based patients.

Fecal calprotectin correlates more closely with the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's disease (SES-CD) than CRP, blood leukocytes, and the CDAI

Studies evaluating the correlation between the widely used Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's disease (SES-CD) and noninvasive markers are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the SES-CD and fecal calprotectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), blood leukocytes, and the Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI).

MR motility imaging in Crohn's disease improves lesion detection compared with standard MR imaging

To evaluate retrospectively in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) if magnetic resonance (MR) motility alterations correlate with CD typical lesions leading to an increased detection rate.

Extraintestinal Crohn's disease mimicking autoimmune inner ear disease: a histopathological approach

Patients with autoimmune inner ear disease develop rapidly progressive sensorineural hearing loss over a period of several weeks or months, often accompanied by vestibular loss. This disease can occur as a distinct clinical entity or in association with an underlying autoimmune disorder. Treatment comprises immunosuppression by corticosteroids, cytostatic drugs or tumor necrosis factor- antagonists. We report histopathological and immunohistochemical findings of the inner ear of a patient with a granulomatous inner ear disease suffering from Crohn's disease that was nonresponsive to treatment and who underwent surgery for bilateral cochlear implants.

Long-term antibiotic treatment for Crohn's disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials

We investigated the effectiveness of long-term antibiotic treatment in patients with Crohn's disease.

Effects of social support on the clinical course of Crohn's disease

Social support has been found to be protective from adverse health effects of psychological stress. We hypothesized that higher social support would predict a more favorable course of Crohn's disease (CD) directly (main effect hypothesis) and via moderating other prognostic factors (buffer hypothesis).

Genome-wide meta-analysis increases to 71 the number of confirmed Crohn's disease susceptibility loci

We undertook a meta-analysis of six Crohn's disease genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comprising 6,333 affected individuals (cases) and 15,056 controls and followed up the top association signals in 15,694 cases, 14,026 controls and 414 parent-offspring trios. We identified 30 new susceptibility loci meeting genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10 ? ? ). A series of in silico analyses highlighted particular genes within these loci and, together with manual curation, implicated functionally interesting candidate genes including SMAD3, ERAP2, IL10, IL2RA, TYK2, FUT2, DNMT3A, DENND1B, BACH2 and TAGAP. Combined with previously confirmed loci, these results identify 71 distinct loci with genome-wide significant evidence for association with Crohn's disease.

Infliximab for Crohn's disease in the Swiss IBD Cohort Study: clinical management and appropriateness

Antitumor necrosis factor a agents have significantly improved the management of Crohn's disease (CD), but not all patients benefit from this therapy. We used data from the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort Study and predefined appropriateness criteria to examine the appropriateness of use of infliximab (IFX) in CD patients.

Appropriateness of therapy for fistulizing Crohn's disease: findings from a national inflammatory bowel disease cohort

About 30-50% of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) develop fistulae, implying significant disease burden and complicated clinical management.

Mood and nonmood components of perceived stress and exacerbation of Crohnʼs disease

BACKGROUND: Diverse psychological factors are involved in the pathophysiology of stress. In order to devise effective intervention strategies, it is important to elucidate which factors play the most important role in the association between psychological stress and exacerbation of Crohn's disease (CD). We hypothesized that the association between perceived stress and exacerbation of CD would remain after removal of mood and anxiety components, which are largely involved in stress perception. METHODS: In all, 468 adults with CD were recruited and followed in different hospitals and private practices of Switzerland for 18 months. At inclusion, patients completed the Perceived Stress Questionnaire and anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. During the follow-up, gastroenterologists assessed whether patients presented with a CD exacerbation. By means of binary logistic regression analysis, we estimated the factor by which one standard deviation of perceived stress would increase the odds of exacerbation of CD with and without controlling for anxiety and depression. RESULTS: The odds of exacerbation of CD increased by 1.85 times (95% confidence interval 1.43-2.40, P < 0.001) for 1 standard deviation of perceived stress. After removing the anxiety and depression components, the residuals of perceived stress were no longer associated with exacerbation of CD. CONCLUSIONS: The association between perceived stress and exacerbation of CD was fully attributable to the mood components, specifically anxiety and depression. Future interventional studies should evaluate the treatment of anxiety and depression as a strategy for potential prevention of CD exacerbations. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011;).

[Acrodermatitis enteropathica-like skin lesions due to Crohn's disease-associated zinc deficiency]

We report a case of acrodermatitis enteropathica-like skin eruptions presenting with alopecia, perlèche, glossitis, and genital erosions as well as multifocal eczematoid, psoriasiform, and bullous skin lesions due to zinc deficiency in Crohn's disease.