Clinical efficacy of infliximab in moderate to severe ulcerative colitis in a latin american referral population.

BACKGROUND

Previous research has shown that infliximab (IFX) is effective in the management of moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis (UC). Latin American studies are lacking.

AIM

To evaluate the efficacy of IFX treatment (including corticosteroid withdrawal, complete mucosal healing, colectomy and hospitalization rates) in patients with moderate to severe UC.

METHODS

A retrospective and descriptive study was conducted on patients with UC in Medellín (Colombia). We included patients steroid dependent or refractory to conventional treatment.

RESULTS

Between October 2005 and July 2011, 28 patients with moderate to severe UC received IFX infusions; the median of the follow-up was 27.4 months (range: 1-69 months). Twenty-four patients (86%) had a short-term primary response, whilst 19 (68%) achieved initial clinical remission. After 1 year, 17 (71%) out of the 24 patients who had an initial response were also showing a sustained response, and 10 (42%) remained in clinical remission. At 6 months, complete mucosal healing was observed in 29% of patients and endoscopic improvement in 57%.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to evaluate the IFX use in patients with moderate to severe active UC in a Latin American population. We found that IFX therapy is effective for inducing clinical remission, and that most patients who had an initial response showed a long-term sustained response.