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Celiac disease is a global health problem. The presentation of celiac disease has unfolded over years and it is now known that it can manifest at different ages, has varied presentations, and is prone to develop complications, if not managed properly. Although the Oslo definitions provide consensus on the various terminologies used in literature, there is no phenotypic classification providing a composite diagnosis for the disease.
Various variables identified for phenotypic classification included age at diagnosis, age at onset of symptoms, clinical presentation, family history and complications. These were applied to the existing registry of 1,664 patients at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, India. In addition, age was evaluated as below 15 and below 18 years. Cross tabulations were used for the verification of the classification using the existing data. Expert opinion was sought from both international and national experts of varying fields.
After empirical verification, age at diagnosis was considered appropriate in between A1 (<18) and A2 (≥18). The disease presentation has been classified into 3 types–P1 (classical), P2 (non-classical) and P3 (asymptomatic). Complications were considered as absent (C0) or present (C1). A single phenotypic classification based on these 3 characteristics, namely age at the diagnosis, clinical presentation, and intestinal complications (APC classification) was derived.
APC classification (age at diagnosis, presentation, complications) is a simple disease explanatory classification for patients with celiac disease aimed at providing a composite diagnosis.
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Data on the efficacy and safety of the adalimumab biosimilar Exemptia are limited.
Patients with moderate-to-severe active steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) treated at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, India were offered cyclosporine A, biologicals or biosimilars, or surgery. A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who were treated with the adalimumab biosimilar, Exemptia. These patients were administered an induction dosing schedule of 160 mg Exemptia at week 0, 80 mg at week 2, and then 40 mg every other week from week 4 to 8. The clinical response and remission were assessed at week 8 using Mayo score.
A total of 29 patients (62.1% male; mean age, 34.9 ± 9.7 years) with moderate-to-severe steroid-refractory active UC (mean disease duration, 6.3±5.1 years; pancolitis in 9 patients [31.1%]; left-sided colitis in 20 patients [68.9%]) were treated with the Exemptia induction dosing schedule. The mean Mayo score at presentation was 8.2±1.4. At week 8, clinical response was observed in 7 patients (24.1%), whereas clinical remission was observed only in 1 patient (3.5%). Among the non-responders (n=21), 4 patients required colectomy, 1 died, 1 was lost to follow-up, 10 were offered fecal microbiota transplant, 3 were administered infliximab, and 2 patients were administered cyclosporine and tacrolimus, respectively. Four patients (13.8%) developed extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
The adalimumab biosimilar Exemptia has limited efficacy for the attainment of clinical response and remission in moderate-to-severe steroid-refractory UC, with a significant risk of acquisition or reactivation of tuberculosis in developing countries such as India.
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The therapeutic goal for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) patients has shifted to achieving mucosal healing over the past few years. However, at present, limited data is available on the correlation between endoscopic findings and histological remission in patients with endoscopic mucosal healing.
This was a prospective observational study conducted over a period of 18 months (January 2014 to June 2015) at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Patients diagnosed with UC who had been in clinical remission (n=76) for at least 6 months were evaluated for endoscopic remission. Those in endoscopic remission (Mayo score ≤1; 46/76, 60.5%) were subjected to multiple biopsies from the rectosigmoid region and histological remission, which was then defined as grade 0/1 as per the Geboes criteria.
Of the 46 patients in endoscopic remission (age, 18–73 years; male:female=1.5:1.0), majority had E1 (proctitis) disease (21/46, 45.6%) followed by E2 (left sided colitis) (18/46, 39.1%) and E3 disease (pancolitis) (7/46, 15.2%) at baseline. Histological remission was noted in 67.3% (31/46) of the patients, while 32.7% (15/46) still retained the histologically active disease in the form of infiltration of the lamina propria by eosinophils and neutrophils (13/15, 86.6%), cryptitis (14/15, 93.3%), and crypt abscesses (8/15, 53.3%). On follow-up, after 1 year, 87.1% (27/31) of the patients who had been in histological remission remained clinically asymptomatic, while 12.9% (4/31) had relapsed. Among the 15 histologically active patients, 46.6% (7/15) remained in clinical remission, while 53.3% (8/15) had relapsed.
Histological remission, rather than endoscopic remission, predicts a sustained clinical remission and allows monitoring of therapy for the subsequent disease course in patients with UC.
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