Infliximab improves quality of life in the short-term in patients with fistulizing Crohn's disease in clinical practice

Objectives: to assess the effect of infliximab on quality of life in a series of patients with fistulizing Crohn's disease. Patients and methods: a prospective observational study was made. A total of 25 patients with single or multiple draining abdominal or perianal fistulas were selected for the study. All received an intravenous infusion of infliximab at a dose of 5 mg per kilogram of body weight in weeks 0, 2, and 6. The clinical activity was calculated every two weeks over a 10-week follow-up. HR-QOL (SF-36 and IBDQ scores) were compared at baseline and at weeks 4 and 10. Results: sixty-four percent of patients had a clinical response to treatment with infliximab, with complete closure of fistulas. The mean values of CDAI decreased during follow-up, with a significant difference between weeks 0 and 10 (p < 0.01). Health-related quality of life (HRQOL), as measured by means of SF-36, showed an overall improvement in the physical domain (PCS) after 4 and 10 weeks (p < 0.05). An increase was also observed in IBDQ overall score on comparing the results obtained at week 0 and week 4 (p < 0.01). The social functioning domain of IBDQ was not significantly changed with treatment. Conclusions: treatment with infliximab in active fistulizing Crohn's disease results in a significant increase in the quality of life of patients at short-term.