Corticosteroid Use in Childhood-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study (2006-2022)

We aimed to determine corticosteroid (CS) use in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD, < 18 years), which remains common despite recommendations for limited use and the emergence of steroid-sparing therapies.

We conducted a study of all children in Sweden diagnosed with CD (n = 2460) or UC (n = 2470) in 2006-2022. Nationwide health registers provided annual individual-level data on CS use, classified as any use and excess use (i.e., ≥ 2 courses or ≥ 3 months of use per year).

The mean age at diagnosis was 13.7 (SD = 3.4) for CD and 13.9 (SD = 3.8) years for UC. In CD, the proportion of patients with any annual CS use decreased from 42.9% (2006) to 27.6% (2022; p < 0.001), particularly for excess CS use (decreasing from 33.7% to 19.1%; p < 0.001). Rates in UC remained largely unchanged, with any CS use at 41.0% in 2006 and 43.6% in 2022 (p = 0.43), while excess use was 32.4% in 2006 and 36.2% in 2022 (p = 0.21). Although any CS use was most common during the first year after diagnosis (CD: 63.8%, UC: 70.6%), annual rates stabilised only during the fourth (CD) and fifth (UC) years of diagnosis. Older age at diagnosis and prior IBD-related hospitalisation were risk factors for excess CS use in both CD and UC.

The use of CS in PIBD remains high, with annual rates showing no reduction in UC over the past more than 15 years, while a marked decline is observed in CD. Our data should inform strategies to reduce excess CS use in children.