Fernando Magro1, João Santos-Antunes2, Filipe Vilas-Boas3, Eduardo Rodrigues-Pinto3, Rosa Coelho3, Orquídea Silva Ribeiro4, Susana Lopes3, Guilherme Macedo3. 1. Gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital de São João, Porto, Portugal; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal; Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: fm@med.up.pt. 2. Gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital de São João, Porto, Portugal; Department of Biochemistry (U38-FCT), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal. 3. Gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital de São João, Porto, Portugal. 4. Centre for Research in Health Informatics Systems and Technologies (CINTESIS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Azathioprine is of major importance in the treatment of Crohn's disease; its efficacy has been showed in several works, but real-life data regarding its use is scarce. Our aim was to address the outcome of patients with Crohn's disease under azathioprine in the real-life setting. METHODS: Crohn's disease patients followed at an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Outpatient Clinic under azathioprine were consecutively enrolled, being allocated in one of four groups. Two groups included patients on treatment with this drug, regarding its two major indications - prevention of post-operative recurrence and steroid-dependent disease; a third group included patients who needed infliximab in addition to azathioprine and a fourth group comprised patients who did not tolerate azathioprine. RESULTS: A total of 221 patients were enrolled, 180 on azathioprine due to steroid-dependency (64 needing additional treatment with infliximab) and 41 for prevention of post-operative recurrence. Steroid-free remission was obtained in 48%. Immunosuppression decreased the number of hospitalized patients (64% vs 36%; p<0.001), but not the surgery rates per person per year. Azathioprine as a post-operative drug was effective in decreasing hospitalizations. The addition of infliximab decreased the number of patients hospitalized (p=0.009) and hospitalization rates per person per year (p<0.001), but had no effect in the surgery rates per person per year. Sixty patients (23%) experienced adverse effects with AZA, 39 requiring discontinuation of the drug. CONCLUSIONS: In this real-life study, azathioprine had a long-term steroid sparing effect and reduced hospitalizations. Combination with infliximab reduced hospitalizations but did not decrease the surgery rate.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Azathioprine is of major importance in the treatment of Crohn's disease; its efficacy has been showed in several works, but real-life data regarding its use is scarce. Our aim was to address the outcome of patients with Crohn's disease under azathioprine in the real-life setting. METHODS:Crohn's diseasepatients followed at an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Outpatient Clinic under azathioprine were consecutively enrolled, being allocated in one of four groups. Two groups included patients on treatment with this drug, regarding its two major indications - prevention of post-operative recurrence and steroid-dependent disease; a third group included patients who needed infliximab in addition to azathioprine and a fourth group comprised patients who did not tolerate azathioprine. RESULTS: A total of 221 patients were enrolled, 180 on azathioprine due to steroid-dependency (64 needing additional treatment with infliximab) and 41 for prevention of post-operative recurrence. Steroid-free remission was obtained in 48%. Immunosuppression decreased the number of hospitalized patients (64% vs 36%; p<0.001), but not the surgery rates per person per year. Azathioprine as a post-operative drug was effective in decreasing hospitalizations. The addition of infliximab decreased the number of patients hospitalized (p=0.009) and hospitalization rates per person per year (p<0.001), but had no effect in the surgery rates per person per year. Sixty patients (23%) experienced adverse effects with AZA, 39 requiring discontinuation of the drug. CONCLUSIONS: In this real-life study, azathioprine had a long-term steroid sparing effect and reduced hospitalizations. Combination with infliximab reduced hospitalizations but did not decrease the surgery rate.
Authors: Debora Garza-Hernandez; Maricruz Sepulveda-Villegas; Jose Garcia-Pelaez; Raul Aguirre-Gamboa; Peter L Lakatos; Karol Estrada; Manuel Martinez-Vazquez; Victor Trevino Journal: BMC Genomics Date: 2022-04-13 Impact factor: 3.969