Cohort profile: the Swedish Inception Cohort in inflammatory bowel disease (SIC-IBD)

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology and Immunology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) requires improved diagnostic and prognostic tools.
• Current methods lack precision for long-term patient outcome prediction.
• The Swedish Inception Cohort in IBD (SIC-IBD) was created to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish the SIC-IBD cohort for identifying diagnostic and prognostic biosignatures in IBD.
• To demonstrate the cohort's potential in discovering novel biomarkers.
• To facilitate clinical decision-making and understand IBD pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Recruitment of adult patients with suspected IBD and controls across eight Swedish hospitals (2011-2021).
• Collection of biospecimens and clinical data at baseline and during up to 10 years of follow-up.
• Analysis of fecal calprotectin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, serum protein signatures, autoantibodies, and fecal markers.

Main Results:

• Included 367 IBD patients (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBD-unclassified) and 168 symptomatic/59 healthy controls.
• Elevated fecal calprotectin and hs-CRP levels observed in IBD patients.
• Preliminary data suggest serum protein signatures, autoantibodies, and fecal markers can differentiate IBD from controls.
• Identified aggressive disease course in 37% of Crohn's disease and 24% of ulcerative colitis patients within the first year.

Conclusions:

• The SIC-IBD cohort is a valuable resource for identifying IBD biosignatures.
• Multi-omics data and clinical information will support biomarker development.
• Findings offer insights into IBD pathogenesis and potential for improved clinical management.