Clin Transl Gastroenterol. 2024 Jul 15. doi: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000737.Online ahead of print.

Devika Dixit ¹, Nicole C Ruiz ², Steve Shen ¹, Arvin Daneshmand ¹, Vanessa I Rodriguez ³, Steve Qian ⁴, Dan Neal ¹, S Devi Rampertab ⁴, Ellen M Zimmermann ⁴, Amir Y Kamel ⁵

Author information

¹University of Florida, Department of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, Gainesville, FL.

²Emory University, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, Atlanta, GA, USA.

³University of South Florida, Department of Internal Medicine, Tampa, FL.

⁴University of Florida, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Gainesville, FL.

⁵University of Florida Health Shands Hospital, Department of Pharmacy, Gainesville, FL.

Abstract

Introduction: Crohn's disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) are characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Mucosal healing (MH) is a therapeutic goal in IBD patients. Current data suggests that Black patients may experience worse clinical outcomes than White patients with IBD. This study assessed MH between Black and White IBD patients.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on Black and White adults with IBD who were hospitalized for an active flare. The presence of MH was assessed at 6-18 months post-hospitalization. IBD treatments received prior to and during hospitalization, within 6 months and 6-18 months after discharge were recorded. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were collected at hospitalization and 6-18 months after discharge; the difference was reported as delta CRP.

Results: 109 patients were followed-up after hospitalization. Of those 88 (80.7%) were White patients and 21 (19.3%) were Black patients. White and Black patients received similar proportions of IBD treatment prior to (p=0.2) and during (p= 0.6) hospitalization, within 6 months (p=0.1) and 6-18 months (p=0.1) after discharge. Black patients achieved numerically higher rates of MH (15/21=71.4% vs. 53/88= 60.2%, p=0.3) and delta CRP (p=0.2) than White patients, however not statistically significant.

Conclusions: In patients admitted to the hospital with an IBD flare with similar treatment and care, there was a trend toward higher rates of MH in Black patients compared to White patients. This data suggests that MH is likely not the only factor that is associated with Black patients experiencing worse clinical outcomes when compared to White patients.