Faculty Bibliography

PURPOSE OF REVIEW:This review summarizes the most recent literature on older adults with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Additionally, we review geriatric syndromes that may be pertinent to the management of older adults with IBD. RECENT FINDINGS:Traditionally chronological age has been used to risk stratify older adults with IBD, however physiologic status, including comorbidities, frailty, and sarcopenia, are more closely associated with clinical outcomes for older adults. Delaying care for and undertreating older adults with IBD based upon advanced chronologic age alone is associated with worse outcomes, including increased mortality. Treatment decisions should be made considering physiologic status, with an understanding of the differential risks associated with both ongoing disease and treatment. As such, there is an increasing recognition of the impact geriatric syndromes have on older adults with IBD, which need to be further explored. SUMMARY:Older adults with IBD are less likely to receive advanced therapies and timely surgery. They are also more likely to have adverse outcomes despite having similar disease courses to younger adults with IBD. Focusing on biological age as opposed to chronological age can shift this trajectory and improve quality of care for this growing population of patients with IBD.

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW/OBJECTIVE:Our national guidelines regarding screening and surveillance for colorectal cancer recommend individualized discussions with patients 75-85 years of age. This review explores the complex decision-making that surrounds these discussions. RECENT FINDINGS/RESULTS:Despite updated guidelines for colorectal cancer screening and surveillance, the guidance for patients 75 years of age or older remains unchanged. Studies exploring the risks to colonoscopy in this population, patient preferences, life expectancy calculators and additional studies in the subpopulation of inflammatory bowel disease patients provide points of consideration to aid in individualized discussions. The benefit-risk discussion for colorectal cancer screening in patients over 75 years old warrants further guidance to develop best practice. To craft more comprehensive recommendations, additional research with inclusion of such patients is needed.

BACKGROUND:There is an increasing incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for which environmental factors are suspected. Antibiotics have been associated with development of IBD in earlier generations, but their influence on IBD risk in adults is uncertain. OBJECTIVE:To assess the impact of antibiotic exposure, including dose-response, timing and antibiotic class, on the risk of IBD in all individuals aged ≥10 years. DESIGN:Using Denmark nationwide registries, a population-based cohort of residents aged ≥10 years was established between 2000 and 2018. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for IBD following antibiotic exposure were calculated using Poisson regression. RESULTS:There were a total of 6 104 245 individuals, resulting in 87 112 328 person-years of follow-up, and 52 898 new cases of IBD. Antibiotic exposure was associated with an increased risk of IBD as compared with no antibiotic exposure for all age groups, although was greatest among individuals aged 40-60 years and ≥60 years (age 10-40 years, IRR 1.28, 95% CI 1.25 to 1.32; age 40-60 years, IRR 1.48, 95% CI 1.43 to 1.54; age ≥60 years, IRR 1.47, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.53). For all age groups a positive dose-response was observed, with similar results seen for both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The highest risk of developing IBD was seen 1-2 years after antibiotic exposure, and after use of antibiotic classes often prescribed to treat gastrointestinal pathogens. CONCLUSION:Antibiotic exposure is associated with an increased risk of IBD, and was highest among individuals aged 40 years and older. This risk increased with cumulative antibiotic exposure, with antibiotics targeting gastrointestinal pathogens and within 1-2 years after antibiotic exposure.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:The COVID-19 pandemic led to the urgent implementation of telehealth visits in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care; however, data assessing feasibility remain limited. OBJECTIVES/UNASSIGNED:We looked to determine the completion rate of telehealth appointments for adults with IBD, as well as to evaluate demographic, clinical, and social predictors of incomplete appointments. DESIGN/UNASSIGNED:We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients with IBD who had at least one scheduled telehealth visit at the NYU IBD Center between 1 March 2020 and 31 August 2021, with only the first scheduled telehealth appointment considered. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:Medical records were parsed for relevant covariables, and multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted association between demographic factors and an incomplete telehealth appointment. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED: = 0.22). After adjustment, patients with CD had higher odds of an incomplete appointment as compared to patients with UC [adjusted odds ratio (adjOR): 1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10-1.69], as did females (adjOR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.04-1.54), and patients who had a non-first-degree relative listed as an emergency contact (adjOR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.16-2.44). While age ⩾60 years was not associated with appointment completion status, we did find that age >80 years was an independent predictor of missed telehealth appointments (adjOR: 2.92, 95% CI: 1.12-7.63) when compared to individuals aged 60-70 years. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:telehealth, particularly those aged 60-80 years, may therefore provide an additional venue to complement in-person care.

BACKGROUND:Patients with ulcerative colitis may require colectomy for severe disease unresponsive or refractory to pharmacological therapy. Managing ulcerative colitis is complicated as there are many factors at play, including patient optimization and treatment; the guidance varies on the ideal perioperative use of corticosteroids, immunomodulators, biologics, and small molecule agents. OBJECTIVE:A systematic literature review was performed to describe the current status of perioperative management of ulcerative colitis. DATA SOURCES/METHODS:PubMed and Cochrane databases were used. STUDY SELECTION/METHODS:Studies between January 2000 and January 2022, in any language, were included. Articles regarding pediatric or endoscopic management were excluded. INTERVENTIONS/METHODS:Perioperative management of ulcerative colitis was included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/METHODS:Successful management, including reducing surgical complication rates, was measured. RESULTS:A total of 121 studies were included in this review, including 23 meta-analyses or systematic reviews, 25 reviews, and 51 cohort studies. LIMITATIONS/CONCLUSIONS:Qualitative review including all study types. The varied nature of study types precludes quantitative comparison. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Indications for colectomy in UC include severe disease unresponsive to medical treatment and colitis-associated neoplasia. Urgent colectomy has a higher mortality rate than elective colectomy. Corticosteroids are associated with postsurgical infectious complications and should be stopped or weaned before surgery. Biologics are not associated with adverse postoperative effects and do not necessarily need to be stopped preoperatively. Additionally, the clinician must assess individuals' comorbidities, nutrition status, and risk of venous thromboembolism. Nutritional imbalance should be corrected, ideally at preoperative period. Postoperatively, corticosteroids can be tapered based on the length of preoperative corticosteroid use.

BACKGROUND:Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) has emerged as an alternative intervention to manage Crohn's disease (CD) strictures. We determined the cost-effectiveness of EBD versus resection surgery for patients with short (< 4-5 cm) primary or secondary/anastomotic small or large bowel strictures. METHODS:A microsimulation state-transition model analyzed the benefits and risks of EBD and resection surgery for patients with primary or anastomotic CD strictures. Our primary outcome was quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) over ten years, and strategies were compared using a willingness to pay of $100,000/QALY from a societal perspective. Costs (2021 $US) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were calculated. Deterministic 1-way and probabilistic analyses assessed model uncertainty. RESULTS:The EBD strategy cost $19,822 and resulted in 6.18 QALYs while the surgery strategy cost $41,358 and resulted in 6.37 QALYs. Surgery had an ICER of $113,332 per QALY, making EBD a cost-effective strategy. The median number of EBDs was 5 in the EBD strategy and 0 in the surgery strategy. The median number of surgeries was 2 in the surgery strategy and 1 in the EBD strategy. Of individuals who initially received EBD, 50.4% underwent subsequent surgery. One-way sensitivity analyses showed that the probabilities of requiring repeated interventions, surgery mortality (< 0.7%), and quality of life after interventions were the most influential model parameters. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses favored EBD in 50.9% of iterations. CONCLUSIONS:EBD is a cost-effective strategy for managing CD strictures. Differences in patient risk and quality of life after intervention impact cost-effectiveness. Intervention decisions should consider cost-effectiveness, patient risks, and quality of life.

Introduction: As the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient population ages, there will be an increasing number of individuals requiring advanced therapies. Although older age is thought to be associated with immunosenescence, there are data suggesting that older adults may be at higher risk for antibody development as the result of biologic use.
Method(s): Using a large commercial laboratory database (Prometheus Laboratories), we extracted infliximab (IFX) dosing as well as antibody to infliximab (ATI) levels for all individuals using this assay from 2015-2021. Our primary outcome was the presence of ATI (titer >3.1 U/mL). Frequencies were recorded as categorical variables with chi-square analysis used, and multivariable logistic regression was employed to assess the impact of IFX dose, age (< 60 years-old v. >=60 years-old), and IBD subtype on the development of ATI.
Result(s): Overall, there were 22,197 unique specimens, with 3,028 (13.6%) having ATI. When stratified by age, individuals >=60 years-old developed ATI 18.1% (473/2,612) of the time as compared to 15.0% (2,555/17,030) for individuals < 60 years of age (p< 0.01, Figure). Among all individuals with IFX dose < 10mg q8 weeks, older adults (>=60 years of age) were more likely to develop ATI as compared to younger adults (22.8% vs. 16.2%, respectively, p< 0.01); however, when IFX dose was >=10mg/kg q8 weeks, age >= 60 years-old was no longer significantly associated with the development of ATI (9.9% if < 60 years-old vs. 10.6% if >=60 years-old) on univariable analysis. Overall, older adults were less likely to receive IFX doses >=10mg/kg q8 weeks (38.4% in older adults vs. 49.7% in younger adults; p< 0.01). On multivariable analysis, age >=60 years-old (adjOR 1.35, 95%CI 1.20-1.51), IFX dose >= 10mg/kg q8 weeks (adjOR 0.53, 95%CI 0.49-0.57) and having ulcerative colitis as compared to Crohn's disease (adjOR 1.44, 95%CI 1.33-1.57) were independently associated with the development of ATI.
Conclusion(s): Older adults with IBD develop ATI more frequently than younger adults when adjusting for IFX dose and IBD subtype. However, when IFX dose >=10mg/kg q8 weeks, ATI was significantly less likely to develop among older adults, and occurred in a similar proportion of younger individuals. Further education is needed, highlighting that older adults with IBD are more likely to develop ATI as compared to younger adults, particularly when using lower doses of IFX, and that higher doses may decrease this likelihood. (Figure Presented)

BACKGROUND:Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, data on national trends remain limited. AIMS/OBJECTIVE:To assess national trends in VTE-associated hospitalisations among patients with IBD as well as risk factors for, and mortality associated with, these events METHODS: Using the U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2000-2018, temporal trends in VTE were assessed using the National Cancer Institute's Joinpoint Regression Program with estimates presented as the average annual percent change (AAPC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS:Between 2000 and 2018, there were 4,859,728 hospitalisations among patients with IBD, with 128,236 (2.6%) having a VTE, and 6352 associated deaths. The rate of VTE among hospitalised patients with IBD increased from 192 to 295 cases per 10,000 hospitalisations (AAPC 2.4%, 95%CI 1.4%, 3.4%, p < 0.001), and remained significant when stratified by ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease as well as by deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. On multivariable analysis, increasing age, male sex, UC (aOR: 1.30, 95%CI 1.26, 1.33), identifying as non-Hispanic Black, and chronic corticosteroid use (aOR: 1.22, 95%CI 1.16, 1.29) were associated with an increased risk of a VTE-associated hospitalisation. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Rates of VTE-associated hospitalisations are increasing among patients with IBD. Continued efforts need to be placed on education and risk reduction.