Dig Liver Dis. 2025 Jan 8:S1590-8658(24)01130-7. doi: 10.1016/j.dld.2024.12.011.Online ahead of print.

Edouard Louis ¹, Peter Bossuyt ², Arnaud Colard ³, Antoine Nakad ⁴, Didier Baert ⁵, Fazia Mana ⁶, Philip Caenepeel ⁷, Stijn Vanden Branden ⁸, Severine Vermeire ⁹, Francois D'Heygere ¹⁰, Beatrijs Strubbe ¹¹, Anneline Cremer ¹², Vida Setakhr ¹³, Filip Baert ¹⁴, Anne Vijverman ¹⁵, Jean-Louis Coenegrachts ¹⁶, Frederic Flamme ¹⁷, Anke Hantson ¹⁸, Jie Zhou ¹⁹, Geert Van Gassen ¹⁸

Author information

¹Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital CHU of Liège, Liège, Belgium. Electronic address: edouard.louis@uliege.be.

²Imelda GI Clinical Research Center, Imelda General Hospital, Bonheiden, Belgium.

³Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital CHC, Liège, Belgium.

⁴Department of Gastroenterology, CHwapi Notre Dame, Tournai, Belgium.

⁵Department of Gastroenterology, Maria Middelares Medical Centre, Ghent, Belgium.

⁶Department of Gastroenterology, Clinique St. Jean, Brussels, Belgium.

⁷Department of Gastroenterology, Ziekenhuis Oost Limburg, Genk, Belgium.

⁸Department of Gastroenterology, Onze Lieve Vrouwziekenhuis, Aalst, Belgium.

⁹Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

¹⁰Department of Gastroenterology, AZ Groeninge Hospital, Kortrijk, Belgium.

¹¹Department of Gastroenterology, AZ St Lucas, Ghent, Belgium.

¹²Department of Gastroenterology, Hopital Universitaire Erasme, Brussels, Belgium.

¹³Department of Gastroenterology, CHU UCL Namur site Sainte Elisabeth, Namur, Belgium.

¹⁴Department of Gastroenterology, AZ Delta, Roeselare, Belgium.

¹⁵Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital CHR de la Citadelle, Liège, Belgium.

¹⁶Department of Gastroenterology, Jessa Ziekenhuis, Hasselt, Belgium.

¹⁷Department of Gastroenterology, CHU Ambroise Paré, Mons, Belgium.

¹⁸Takeda, Brussels, Belgium.

¹⁹Takeda, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Abstract

Background: Fatigue is common among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and is associated with decreased quality of life (QoL).

Aims: Describe fatigue evolution and identify factors associated with fatigue outcomes in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) initiating biologic treatment.

Methods: Data from adult Belgian patients with UC or CD enrolled in a prospective real-world study were utilized. Fatigue and QoL were assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) and the Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, respectively. Factors associated with fatigue outcomes were assessed using multivariate regression.

Results: 465 patients were included: 174 with UC and 291 with CD. Average FACIT-F scores indicated improvements in fatigue after 6 months, before stabilizing. A higher probability of fatigue disappearance was associated with clinical remission and was more likely in patients with UC than CD. Patients achieving clinical remission had lower probability of fatigue. Patients with fatigue improvements experienced greater QoL improvements than patients with fatigue persistence.

Conclusions: Real-world findings suggest fatigue partly improves in the first 6 months of biologic treatment. Clinical remission was associated with greater probability of fatigue disappearance and lower likelihood of fatigue persistence. Further research into factors associated with fatigue in patients with IBD is warranted.