Perception of improved state of health and subjective quality of life in Crohn's disease patients treated with Infliximab.

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND AND AIMS AND
METHOD: Although Infliximab is a very potent therapy of refractory Crohn's disease, its administration requires iterative infusions in hospital and there are concerns regarding its long-term safety. The aim of this study was to assess in a sample of 51 patients suffering from CD the impact of type of treatment (intravenous Infliximab versus conventional therapy without Infliximab) on the evaluation of the state of health (CGI) and the quality of life (MOS-SF36). Secondary variables were also assessed: the impact of depression (MADRS), the impact of activity of the disease (Harvey-Bradshaw Index).
RESULTS: Overall, the assessments made using the CGI and the SF-36 revealed that the two types of treatment did not differ on the assessment of state of health and quality of life. A downward influence of depression and activity of the disease was observed.
CONCLUSION: Patients considered more efficacy of Infliximab than its potential side effects. It seems important to assess and to consider depression in order to improve medical care setting of Crohn's disease.