Health utility of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this systematic review was to collect and summarize the current data on the utilities of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). AREAS COVERED: A meta-analysis of the obtained utilities was performed using a random-effects model and meta-regression by the disease type and severity. A bootstrap analysis was performed as it does not require assumption on distribution of the data. The highest utility among patients with CD and UC was observed when the diseases were in remission. The meta-regression analysis showed that both disease severity and an instrument/method/questionnaire used to obtain utilities were significant predictors of utility. Utility was the lowest for severe disease and the highest for disease in remission, the association was more notable in patients with CD compared with UC. Expert commentary: The issue of patients' utility is important for healthcare decision makers but it has not been fully investigated and requires further study.