{"id":31642,"date":"2020-05-21T10:33:56","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T00:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utter-drop.flywheelsites.com\/?post_type=hdsn_news_post&p=31642"},"modified":"2024-07-10T16:00:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T06:00:21","slug":"crohns-disease-diagnosis-predicts-patient-outcomes","status":"publish","type":"hdsn_news_post","link":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/news\/crohns-disease-diagnosis-predicts-patient-outcomes\/","title":{"rendered":"Crohn’s disease diagnosis impacts future health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Crohn\u2019s disease is an incurable inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)<\/a> affecting more than 60,000 Australians, including children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With effective treatment many children with crohn’s disease remain symptom-free for long periods of time. Unfortunately, many still require surgery. It can be difficult for doctors to predict surgery outcomes and sometimes, disease can still recur afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detailed diagnosis crucial optimal Crohn’s disease outcome <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A large international study of children with Crohn\u2019s disease involving Hudson Institute\u2019s Dr Edward Giles<\/a> found it was possible to predict if the condition would return after surgery, by studying the findings at their initial gastroscopy\u2014a camera test routine in children, but not adults, with IBD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Giles, Research Fellow, Regulation of Interferon and Innate Signalling<\/a> Research group, said the devil is in the detail at diagnosis. He said changes to the bowel only visible under a microscope were predictive of the disease relapsing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis study shows that even at diagnosis, subtle findings can have important implications for long term outcomes for children with Crohn’s disease,\u201d Dr Giles said. \u201cIt shows that the details can be important, and full assessment at diagnosis can have consequences years down the track.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of gastroscopy for Crohn’s disease outcomes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr Giles said in most countries, clinicians would only do a colonoscopy for adult patients. He said this research, one of few\u2014and the largest\u2014 involving children, showed the benefits of gastroscopy for diagnosis, which can give a better picture of how widespread the damage is to the bowel. He said this could have implications for gaining a deeper understanding of adult patients, as well as children, before surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study, published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology<\/a>, involved 96 pediatric patients at Royal London Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital who underwent surgery. It found those with abnormal gastroscopy results\u2014upper gastrointestinal tract inflammation\u2014were associated with the recurrence of disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis was novel, as it can be very difficult to predict which children will do well after surgery, and when the disease will stay away for longer,\u201d Dr Giles said. \u201cAlso, this finding, while in children, may be applicable to all people with IBD,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n Read more | <\/strong>\n Rachel\u2019s story: living with Crohn\u2019s disease<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n

Predicting outcomes for children with Crohn’s disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur study could help predict outcomes for children with Crohn’s disease, helping decide when surgery is appropriate, and which patients need closer monitoring after surgery for potential relapses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Giles said most studies of Crohn\u2019s disease and IBD were conducted in adult patients. However, he said children were arguably more important because they experience a more aggressive form of the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crohn\u2019s disease can also affect children\u2019s growth and puberty, if it is present early enough, Dr Giles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the findings were important for family members or friends of people with Crohn\u2019s disease in Australia, and of main interest to doctors who look after IBD patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the first study ever to find this association with gastroscopy findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About inflammatory bowel disease\u2014IBD<\/h2>\n