Early corticosteroids requirement after the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis diagnosis can predict a more severe long-term course of the disease - A nationwide study of 1035 patients

Background There are limited data regarding clinical outcomes in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients who require early corticosteroids (CS) use. Aim To evaluate the rate of early CS utilisation (within 30 days of diagnosis) as a predictive marker for long-term outcomes, colectomy and CS dependency, in a population-based cohort of incident UC cases. Methods Nationwide data were obtained from the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system for the period 2001-2011. Incident UC cases were identified. A retrospective cohort design and time-to-event survival analysis were used to track outcomes of interest. Cox regression multivariate analysis was employed. Results One thousand and thirty-five newly diagnosed patients with UC were identified and included in the analysis; 236 (23%) of those patients required early CS therapy. Patients were followed-up over a median time of 4.7 years (IQR 2.8-6.8) after UC diagnosis. The 5-year cumulative probability of requiring colectomy varied significantly by early CS use status (13% among early CS users compared to 4% among those who did not require early CS treatment, P < 0.001). Similar variation in the 5-year cumulative probability of CS dependency by early CS status was observed. Early CS users were more likely to require colectomy 2.9 (CI 1.7-5.0, P < 0.001) and to become CS dependent 4.5 (95% CI 3.6-5.7, P < 0.001) than non-users. Conclusions Early CS use can help identify those patients who have a more active disease course of UC. Recognising this can be among the indicators that can help physicians identify patients who may require early initiation of more aggressive therapy.