Anti-TNF Treatment for Extraintestinal Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Swiss IBD Cohort Study

Anti-TNF Treatment for Extraintestinal Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Swiss IBD Cohort Study. Vavricka SR1, Gubler M, Gantenbein C, Spoerri M, Froehlich F, Seibold F, Protic M, Michetti P, Straumann A, Fournier N, Juillerat P, Biedermann L, Zeitz J, Misselwitz B, Scharl M, Heinrich H, Manser CN, Safroneeva E, Raja Ali RA, Rogler G, Schoepfer AM, Greuter T; Swiss IBD Cohort Study Group. BACKGROUND: Extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are frequently observed. Little is known about the efficacy of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in EIM management. We assessed the effect of 3 anti-TNF agents (infliximab, adalimumab, and certolizumab pegol) on EIM evolution. METHODS: Data on 1249 patients from the Swiss IBD Cohort Study (SIBDCS) were analyzed. All EIMs were diagnosed by relevant specialists. Response was classified into improvement, stable disease, and clinical worsening based on the physician's interpretation. RESULTS: Of the 366 patients with at least 1 EIM, 213 (58.2%) were ever treated with an anti-TNF. A total of 299 treatments were started for 355 EIMs. Patients with EIM were significantly more often treated with anti-TNF compared with those without EIM (58.2% versus 21.0%, P < 0.001). …