Patients' perceptions on the impact of coffee consumption in inflammatory bowel disease: friend or foe?--a patient survey.
BACKGROUND
Environmental factors are an integral component in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There is an increasing interest in nutritive components. While the potential disease-modifying role of coffee has been intensively investigated in a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, the data on the potential impact on IBD is very limited. We aimed to determine the patients' perspective on coffee consumption in IBD.


METHODS
We conducted a questionnaire among IBD patients in Switzerland, assessing key questions regarding coffee consumption. Descriptive statistics including chi square testing were used for analysis of questionnaire data.


RESULTS
Among a total of 442 patients 73% regularly consume coffee. 96% of patients attributing a positive and 91% of patients attributing no impact of coffee intake on IBD regularly drink coffee and surprisingly even 49% of those patients that assign a negative impact on disease symptoms. Among those patients refraining from regular coffee intake 62% are convinced that coffee adversely influences intestinal symptoms, significantly more in Crohn's disease (CD) than in ulcerative colitis (UC) (76% vs. 44%, p = 0.002). In total, 38% of all study subjects suppose that coffee has an effect on their symptoms of disease, significantly more in CD (54%) compared to UC patients (22%, p < 0.001). Moreover, while 45% of CD patients feel that coffee has a detrimental influence, only 20% of UC patients share this impression (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Two thirds of IBD patients regularly consume coffee. More than twice as many CD compared to UC patients attribute a symptom-modifying effect of coffee consumption, the majority a detrimental one. However, this negative perception does not result in abstinence from coffee consumption.
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. christiane.barthel@rbk.de.|Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Robert-Bosch-Hospital Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. christiane.barthel@rbk.de.
Christiane
C
Barthel
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. s.wiegand@gmx.ch.|Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Klinik St. Anna, Luzern, Switzerland. s.wiegand@gmx.ch.
Sandra
S
Wiegand
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. sylvie.scharl@usz.ch.
Sylvie
S
Scharl
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. michael.scharl@usz.ch.|Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. michael.scharl@usz.ch.
Michael
M
Scharl
Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Clinic Bethanien, Zurich, Switzerland. pascal.frei@hin.ch.
Pascal
P
Frei
Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Triemli Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. stephan.vavricka@triemli.zuerich.ch.
Stephan R
SR
Vavricka
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. michael.fried@usz.ch.
Michael
M
Fried
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. michaelchristian.sulz@usz.ch.|Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Kanton Hospital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland. michaelchristian.sulz@usz.ch.
Michael Christian
MC
Sulz
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. nico.wiegand@usz.ch.|Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Klinik St. Anna, Luzern, Switzerland. nico.wiegand@usz.ch.
Nico
N
Wiegand
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. gerhard.rogler@usz.ch.|Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. gerhard.rogler@usz.ch.
Gerhard
G
Rogler
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland. luc.biedermann@usz.ch.
Luc
L
Biedermann
D003069:Coffee / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000473:pathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000473:pathology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland
D003069:Coffee