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Published on: December 8, 2014
Alterations in the Course of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Following Liver Transplantation: A Systematic Review and
Ali Reza Safarpour1, Sara Shojaei-Zarghani1, Manoosh Mehrabi2
1Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Background:
This study aimed to systematically review and pool data regarding the alterations in the clinical course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) following liver transplantation (LT).
Methods:
Relevant prospective and retrospective observational studies were identified by searching databases and gray literature through December 2020. Random-effects models were used to calculate the pooled frequency of IBD patients with disease course alterations ("improved," "unchanged," or "aggravated") after LT and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results:
Twenty-five studies met our inclusion criteria, reporting the outcomes in 2 or 3 categories. In the analysis of studies with 3-category outcomes (n = 13), the pooled frequencies of patients with improved, unchanged, or aggravated IBD course after LT were 29.4% (95% CI, 16.9% to 41.9%), 51.4% (95% CI, 45.5% to 57.3%), and 25.2% (95% CI, 15.6% to 34.8%), respectively. Subgroup analyses revealed that patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), younger age at LT, or shorter duration of follow-up were more likely to have an improved disease course. Moreover, higher IBD exacerbation estimates were observed in studies with a low risk of bias. In the analysis of studies with 2-category outcomes (n = 12), the pooled frequencies of patients with improved/unchanged or aggravated IBD course were 73.6% (95% CI, 62.2% to 85.0%) and 24.1% (95% CI, 15.1% to 33.2%), respectively. The cumulative incidence of an exacerbated IBD course following LT was 0.22 (95% CI, 0.16-0.29; P < .001).
Conclusion:
We conclude that IBD activity remains unchanged (or improved/unchanged) in most IBD patients following LT. Furthermore, IBD type, age, and follow-up length can influence the IBD course after LT.
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