Health Care Indicators of Moderate to Severe IBD and Subsequent IBD-Related Disability: A Longitudinal Study

We aimed to determine how health care utilization indicators in IBD that reflect moderate to severe disease relate to disability later in life.

Persons in the population-based University of Manitoba IBD Research Registry completed a survey and gave permission to access their Manitoba Health records. Of 2478 people in the Registry aged 18 to 65 years, 854 participated between April 2015 and March 2016. The survey included the IBD Disability Index (IBDDI). The health data included surgeries and hospitalizations since 1984 and prescriptions since 1995. We explored the association between indicators of moderate to severe disease (ie, surgeries, hospitalization, and new corticosteroids and anti-tumor necrosis factor [anti-TNF] prescriptions) and high IBD-related disability (IBDDI ≥35). In addition, among those who had at least 1 IBD-related surgery, we determined predictors of low or no postsurgery disability (IBDDI <21).

Eighty-five percent required at least 1 IBD-related surgery since diagnosis or had >2 hospitalizations or were ever prescribed corticosteroids or anti-TNF. Surgery was more common in Crohn's disease (55%) than in UC (13%, P < 0.001). High disability was more prevalent among those ever prescribed anti-TNF (49%) vs never prescribed (28%, P < 0.001), those ever prescribed corticosteroids (35%) vs never prescribed (26%, P = 0.02), and those who had had 1 IBD-related surgery (36%) or >1 surgery (53%) vs those who had had none (28%, P < 0.001).

Health care utilization indicators of moderate to severe disease (ie, surgeries, hospitalizations, corticosteroid or anti-TNF use) were associated with subsequent higher IBD-related disability. Persons experiencing those indicators should be followed more closely for social, mental, and physical consequences of IBD-related disability. Previous health care utilization can serve as a proxy for IBD-related disability.