The effect of infliximab on patients with ulcerative colitis in Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS:

Infliximab was introduced recently as a rescue therapy for ulcerative colitis (UC) patients refractory to conventional treatments such as therapy with 5-amiono salicylic acids (5-ASA), immune modulators, and corticosteroids. However, there is insufficient data about its efficacy and safety in Korea.

METHODS:

From 7 tertiary referral hospitals, 33 patients who were treated with infliximab for moderate to severe (Mayo score 6-12) UC refractory to conventional treatment were recruited to this study. Clinical remission was defined as a total Mayo score of 2 or lower and every subscore less than 2. Partial response was defined as a decrease of Mayo score at least 3 points from baseline.

RESULTS:

Twenty-three patients (69.7%) showed clinical remission and 29 patients (87.8%) showed partial response in the observation period. When the remission and non-remission groups were compared in univariate analysis, only a higher total Mayo score at base line (11.0±0.9 vs. 9.9±1.5; P=0.04) was related to remission. The remission maintenance rate decreased with time in the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Two patients experienced re-remission after the first remission followed by aggravation during infliximab treatment. Three patients stopped infliximab treatment owing to adverse events including rhabdomyolysis, pneumonia, and fever of unknown origin.

CONCLUSIONS:

If there is no choice except surgery for UC patients refractory to conventional treatment, infliximab is an effective and relatively safe treatment option for these patients in Korea.

• Authors: Hyun Il Seo, Dong Il Park, Tae Oh Kim, You Sun Kim, Suck-Ho Lee, Ji Won Kim, Jae Hak Kim, Jeong Eun Shin
• Journal: Intestinal research (Intest Res) Vol. 12 Issue 3 Pg. 214-20 (Jul 2014) ISSN: 1598-9100 [Print] Korea (South)
• PMID: 25349595 (Publication Type: Journal Article)