Factors associated with disability in patients with ulcerative colitis: A cross-sectional study

Ulcerative colitis (UC) can give rise to several restrictions of patients' working and social activities. We aimed to determine the association between disease chronicity and the state of disability in a large population with UC.

We recruited consecutive patients with UC attending the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) unit of the Azienda Ospedaliera of Padua between July and December 2017. We collected patients' characteristics and clinical information, and all participants completed the IBD questionnaire (IBDQ) for quality of life assessment and the IBD disability index (IBD-DI) questionnaire. Using univariate logistic regression models we assessed whether the patients' characteristics and IBD-related variables were associated with an IBD-DI score ≤3.5. Statistically significant variables in the univariate analyses were then included in a multivariate regression model. Correlations between IBD-DI and all the above mentioned characteristics were investigated using the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

We included 201 patients. A positive correlation was observed between IBD-DI and IBDQ (r = 0.82, P < 0.001). Multivariate regression modelling identified the following as independent factors related to disability: active disease (partial Mayo score ≥2) (odds ratio [OR] 6.54, 95% CI 3.21-13.22), the presence of extraintestinal manifestations (EIM) (OR 2.48, 95%, CI 1.11-5.54) and occasional alcohol consumption (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.20-0.76).

Impaired disability is mainly correlated with disease activity, the presence of EIM and no alcohol consumption. Moreover, there is a strong correlation with patients' quality of life. Therefore, in clinical practice, greater awareness of IBD-related disability is needed to better manage patients' outcomes.