Variants of CARD15 are associated with an aggressive clinical course of Crohn's Disease. An IG-IBD Study
Three major variants of the CARD15 gene confer susceptibility to Crohn's disease (CD). Whether or not these variants correlate with specific clinical features of the disease is under evaluation.We investigated the possible association of CARD15 variants with specific clinical characteristics, including the occurrence of anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), in a large cohort of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients and their unaffected relatives.Three hundred and sixteen CD patients (156 with positive family history), 408 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients (206 with positive family history), 588 unaffected relatives, and 205 unre…
Use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs in inflammatory bowel disease: Clinical practice guidelines of the Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Abstract The two main forms of intestinal bowel disease, namely ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are not curable but can be controlled by various medical therapies. The Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IG-IBD) has prepared clinical practice guidelines to help physicians prescribe corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs for these patients. The guidelines consider therapies that induce remission in patients with active disease as well as treatment regimens that maintain remission. These guidelines complement already existing guidelines from IG-IBD on the use of biological drugs in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.
Advanced age is an independent risk factor for severe infections and mortality in patients given anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.
See related article, Oostlander AE et al, on page 116 in Gastroenterology. BACKGROUND & AIMS: Few data are available on effects of biologic therapies in patients more than 65 years old with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We evaluated the risk and benefits of therapy with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in these patients. METHODS: We collected data from patients with IBD treated with infliximab (n 2475) and adalimumab (n 604) from 2000 to 2009 at 16 tertiary centers. Ninety-five patients (3%) were more than 65 years old (52 men; 37 with ulcerative colitis and 58 with Crohn’s disease; 78 treated with infliximab and 17 with adalimumab). The control group comprised 190 patients 65 yea…
Frequency of NOD2/CARD15 variants in both sporadic and familial cases of Crohn's disease across Italy. An Italian Group for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study.
Abstract Background. Three variants of the NOD 2 /CARD 15 gene are strongly associated with susceptibility to Crohn’s disease; however, striking racial and geographic differences of their frequency have been described. Aims. We have compared the allele frequencies of familial cases of Crohn’s disease recruited in a multicentre study across Italy, in order to disclose possible geographic heterogeneity. Moreover, we also compared the allele frequencies in sporadic cases of Crohn’s disease and healthy controls from Southern Italy with those reported in other two populations from Central and Northern Italy. Subjects and Methods. A total of 731 subjects were genotyped for the polymorphism of thr…