Therapeutic efficacy of infliximab on patients with short duration of Crohn's disease: a Japanese multicenter survey.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of infliximab in patients with Crohn's disease of durations less than one year.


METHODS
Two nationwide surveys of 35 Japanese institutions majoring in inflammatory bowel disease identified 41 patients with active Crohn's disease who were treated by infliximab within 12 months after the diagnosis (E-group) and 97 patients treated later during their clinical course (L-group). Clinical features, responses to infliximab, and accompanying medications were compared between the two groups. A decrease in Crohn's disease activity index > or = 70 or the index < 150 two weeks after infliximab was regarded to be efficacious.


RESULTS
The age was younger (24 vs. 33 years, median, P < 0.0001) and intestinal stricture (12 vs. 49 percent, P < 0.0001), internal fistula (0 vs. 26 percent, P = 0.0003), and previous intestinal resection (7 vs. 57 percent, P < 0.0001) were less frequent in the E-group than in the L-group. The efficacy of infliximab was different between the two groups with a significantly higher value in the E-group than in the L-group (90 vs. 61 percent, P = 0.0012). A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed nonstricturing intestinal lesion to be a significant factor related to the efficacy of infliximab.


CONCLUSIONS
Infliximab is more efficacious in Crohn's disease with short duration, probably because of less frequent stenosis.
Matsumoto
Takayuki
T
Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maidashi 3-1-1, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan. matane@intmed2.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Iida
Mitsuo
M
Motoya
Satoshi
S
Haruma
Ken
K
Suzuki
Yasuo
Y
Kobayashi
Kiyonori
K
Ito
Hiroaki
H
Miyata
Mitsuki
M
Kusunoki
Masato
M
Chiba
Tsutomu
T
Yamamoto
Shojiro
S
Hibi
Toshifumi
T
D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D000069285:Infliximab; D007564:Japan; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D000069285:Infliximab