Identifying Symptoms in Ulcerative Colitis Flares
Author Information
Author(s): Joyce Joel C, Waljee Akbar K, Khan Tahira, Wren Patricia A, Dave Maneesh, Zimmermann Ellen M, Wang Sijian, Zhu Ji, Higgins Peter DR
Primary Institution: University of Michigan
Hypothesis
Which symptom domains are frequent and responsive to changes in disease activity in ulcerative colitis?
Conclusion
Only some of the symptoms of ulcerative colitis that are important to patients are included in standard indices, and several symptoms currently measured are not frequent or responsive to change in ulcerative colitis patients.
Supporting Evidence
- Thirteen of the 28 symptom domains were identified as both frequent in ulcerative colitis flares and responsive to changes in disease activity.
- Seven of these 13 symptom domains were novel symptoms derived from ulcerative colitis patient focus groups.
- Ten of the 16 symptom domains from standard indices were either infrequent or unresponsive to changes in disease activity.
Takeaway
This study looked at what symptoms people with ulcerative colitis feel during flare-ups and found that many important symptoms aren't included in the usual checklists doctors use.
Methodology
Participants rated 28 symptom domains using a Visual Analogue Scale to determine frequency and responsiveness during flares.
Potential Biases
The study relied on patient recollection of symptoms, which may introduce bias.
Limitations
The study population may be biased towards individuals with a more severe UC disease course, and recall bias may affect symptom reporting.
Participant Demographics
{"gender":{"male":31,"female":29},"age":{"median":39.4,"range":"18.6–72.8"},"race":{"Caucasian":54,"Black":3,"American Indian/Alaskan":1,"Hispanic":1,"Other":1},"disease_duration":{"median":5.0,"range":"1–37"}}
Statistical Information
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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