Incidence of and Risk Factors for Colorectal Strictures in Ulcerative Colitis: A Multicenter Study

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasingly recognized as a progressive disease and patients with long-standing disease can develop colorectal stricture. Few data about its incidence in UC are available, while risk factors for colorectal strictures in UC remain to be determined. We assessed the incidence of and risk factors for developing colorectal strictures in a large UC population.

All adult patients followed at Nancy University hospital and at the centre hospitalier de Luxembourg for UC, between January 2004 and July 2019, were eligible for inclusion in this multicenter retrospective cohort study.

A total of 439 patients with UC were included. Median follow-up duration was 9.6 years. Incidence of colorectal stricture was 3.6%. The cumulative probability of developing this complication was 1% at 5 years and 2.3% at 10 years. Median age at stricture diagnosis was 47.9 years (41.0; 63.0), and median time from UC diagnosis to onset of stricture was 11.5 years (5; 15.3). Montreal A3 classification (age > 40 years) (P = .008) and steroids use (HR = 4.1; 95% CI, 1.1-16.1) were independent risk factors for stricture, whereas mesalamine-treated patients carried a lower risk (HR = 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.9). Dysplasia was found in 6 patients with strictures (42.9%) and among them 5 developed a colorectal cancer (33.3%).

Patients with Montreal A3 classification and those exposed to steroids have a higher risk for strictures, while use of mesalamine lowers this risk. These factors should be assessed in daily clinical practice to prevent stricture occurrence in these patients.