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Relapse Rate 18.6 Percent for Ulcerative Colitis

Independent predictors of relapse were NSAID use and vitamin A intake for patients in remission

WEDNESDAY, March 1, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in clinical, endoscopic, and histological remission, the rate of relapse is 18.6 percent over a median follow-up of nine months, according to a study published online Feb. 21 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Rajan Dhingra, M.D., from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and colleagues examined the relapse rate in patients with UC in clinical, endoscopic, and histological remission. Patients were followed for one year to assess the effect of clinical, dietary, and psychological factors on relapse. Data were included for 97 patients followed for a mean of nine±2.3 months.

The researchers found that 18.6 percent of patients relapsed, with a median time to relapse of 3.5 months. Significantly higher nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use within 15 days of relapse; respiratory infection within four weeks; use of steroids more than once in the past; higher consumption of calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin A; and lower sugar intake were seen for more relapsers in univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, significant predictors of relapse were NSAID use (hazard ratio, 6.41; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.88 to 21.9) and vitamin A intake (hazard ratio, 1.008; 95 percent confidence interval, 1 to 1.016).

“With a relapse rate of 18.6 percent over a follow-up of nine months in patients with UC in clinical, endoscopic and histological remission, independent predictors of relapse were history of NSAIDs use within 15 days of relapse and higher intake of vitamin A,” the authors write.

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