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Updated: Jun 8, 2026
Dynamic Adhesion Assay for the Functional Analysis of Anti-adhesion Therapies in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Published on: September 20, 2018
Association of bowel urgency, disease activity and disability in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A
Aurelien Amiot1, Axel Ahres2, Carmen Stefanescu3
1Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, Gustave Roussy, CESP, 94805, Villejuif, France; Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Bicêtre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France.
Background And Aims:
Bowel urgency is one of the most distressing symptoms experienced by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The relationship between bowel urgency and multidimensional IBD-related disability has not been well characterised.
Patients And Methods:
We conducted a multicentre cross‑sectional study including adult patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Patients completed self-administered questionnaires evaluating bowel urgency and IBD-related disability using the IBD-Disk questionnaire. Severe bowel urgency was defined as an IBD-disk bowel urgency subscore ≥6.
Results:
A total of 2,514 patients (1,715 with CD) were included. Severe bowel urgency was observed in 17.1% of patients with UC and in 20.4% of patients with CD, compared to 3.6% and 7.6%, respectively, in those in clinical remission according to PRO-2 criteria. In multivariate analysis in patients with UC, factors associated with severe bowel urgency were general well-being subscore ≥2 and abdominal pain subscore ≥2 while treatment with advanced therapy, clinical remission according to PRO-2, fatigue subscore <5, work productivity subscore <3 and sexual life subscore <2 were negatively associated. In patients with CD, factors were rectal bleeding subscore ≥2, abdominal pain subscore ≥2 and history of intestinal resection while clinical remission, fatigue subscore <5, work productivity subscore <3 and sexual life subscore <2 were negatively associated.
Conclusion:
Severe bowel urgency is frequent in both patients with CD and UC beyond IBD activity and is strongly associated with various dimensions of IBD-related disability. These findings emphasise the importance of systematically assessing urgency in routine clinical practice.
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