Efficacy and Safety of Long-Term Thiopurine Maintenance Treatment in Japanese Patients With Ulcerative Colitis.
- Author:
Satoshi YAMADA
1
;
Takuya YOSHINO
;
Minoru MATSUURA
;
Masamichi KIMURA
;
Yorimitsu KOSHIKAWA
;
Naoki MINAMI
;
Takahiko TOYONAGA
;
Yusuke HONZAWA
;
Hiroshi NAKASE
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Thiopurine; Colitis, ulcerative; Maintenance treatment
- MeSH: Asian Continental Ancestry Group*; Biological Products; Cohort Studies; Colitis, Ulcerative*; Colonoscopy; Humans; Mesalamine; Recurrence; Retrospective Studies; Survival Rate
- From:Intestinal Research 2015;13(3):250-258
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND/AIMS: The long-term clinical outcomes of patients with bio-naive ulcerative colitis (UC) who maintain remission with thiopurine are unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of maintenance treatment with thiopurine in UC patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational cohort analysis conducted at a single center. Between December 1998 and August 2013, 59 of 87 patients with bio-naive UC who achieved remission after induction with treatments other than biologics were enrolled. Remission maintenance with thiopurine was defined as no concomitant treatment needed other than 5-aminosalicylate without relapse. We assessed the remission-maintenance rate, mucosal healing rate, colectomy-free rate, and treatment safety in UC patients who received thiopurine as maintenance treatment. RESULTS: The 84-month cumulative remission-maintenance and colectomy-free survival rates in the UC patients who were receiving maintenance treatment with thiopurine and 5-aminosalicylate were 43.9% and 88.0%, respectively. Of the 38 patients who underwent colonoscopy during thiopurine maintenance treatment, 23 (60.5%) achieved mucosal healing. Of the 59 patients who achieved clinical remission with thiopurine, 6 patients (10.2%) discontinued the thiopurine therapy because of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the long-term efficacy and safety of thiopurine treatment in patients with bio-naive UC.
