Remission on thiopurinic immunomodulators normalizes quality of life and psychological status in patients with Crohn's disease.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Thiopurinic immunomodulators are effective for maintaining symptom remission in Crohn's disease. Little is known, however, about their effect on patients' quality of life or psychological well-being. The present study aimed to determine whether remission induced by thiopurinic immunomodulators returns levels of quality of life and psychological well-being to normal.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A case-control study was performed. Cases were 33 patients with Crohn's disease treated with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine and in stable remission for at least 6 months. Sixty-six healthy individuals matched 2:1 by age and sex and 14 patients with active Crohn's disease were included as control groups. Quality of life was evaluated with the Short Form (SF-36) questionnaire, and the respective Hamilton rating scales were used for anxiety and depression. ANOVA with Bonferroni's correction was used for multiple comparisons.

RESULTS:

SF-36 global scores were 85 in the study group, 85 in healthy controls (P = 1), and 58.6 in patients with active disease (P < 0.001 for the comparison with the other 2 groups). The differences between values were 0 (95% CI -4-4), 26.4 (95% CI 20-32), and 26.4 (95% CI 19-33), respectively. The respective anxiety and depression scores were 6.5, 5.5, and 16.2 and 3.7, 3.3, and 10.9. No significant differences were observed in any of the SF-36 domains between case and control groups, whereas in patients with active disease, all domains were significantly worse.

CONCLUSIONS:

Thiopurinic immunomodulator-induced remission restores normal levels of quality of life and psychological well-being in Crohn's disease patients.

• Authors: Xavier Calvet, Olga Gallardo, Ramón Coronas, Francesc Casellas, Antònia Montserrat, Antonio Torrejón, Mercedes Vergara, Rafel Campo, Enric Brullet
• Journal: Inflammatory bowel diseases (Inflamm Bowel Dis) Vol. 12 Issue 8 Pg. 692-6 (Aug 2006) ISSN: 1078-0998 [Print] England
• PMID: 16917223 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Immunosuppressive Agents
• Mercaptopurine

Topics

• Adult
• Anxiety (diagnosis, etiology)
• Case-Control Studies
• Crohn Disease (drug therapy, psychology)
• Depression (diagnosis, etiology)
• Female
• Humans
• Immunosuppressive Agents (therapeutic use)
• Male
• Mercaptopurine (therapeutic use)
• Quality of Life
• Remission Induction