Disease Burden and Unmet Medical Need in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Patient Survey
Author(s)
Gourzoulidis G1, Vakouftsi V-R2, Mavridoglou G3, Tzanetakos C1
1Health Through Evidence, Athens, Greece, 2Hellenic Society of Crohn’s disease’s and Ulcerative Colitis’ patients (HELLESCC), Athens, A1, Greece, 3University of Peloponnese, Antikalamos, Kalamata, 17, Greece
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES: Ulcerative colitis (UC) requires life-long disease management. The study objective was to investigate the burden of UC and unmet medical need in patients who receive advanced (biologic or JAK inhibitor) therapy in Greece.
METHODS: Between October 2023 and January 2024, adult patients who were members of Hellenic Society of Crohn’s disease’s and Ulcerative Colitis’ patients (HELLESCC) filled out a structured self-questionnaire. The survey questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics, smoking habits, history of comorbidities, disease activity, disease characteristics, IBD medications, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs; Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire [SIBDQ], Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-Specific Health Problem [WPAI-SHP], Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9], treatment satisfaction and treatment adherence).
RESULTS: 86 UC patients receiving a biologic/JAK therapy were included in the analysis (median age 42 years, proportion of female patients 53.5%, median BMI 26, proportion of current smokers 20.9%, median age at diagnosis and disease duration 30 and 11 years, respectively). According to the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI) disease activity groups, 41.9% were in remission, 30.2% had mild disease, and 27.9% had moderate/severe disease. Around 76% of patients reported moderately [SIBDQ 45–59: 36.1%] to severely [SIBDQ <45: 40.3%] impaired quality of life. One-tenth reported work productivity loss and 30% reported activity impairment. Around half of patients reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms [PHQ-9≥10: 50.7%]. The 33.7% of the patients were “not at all”, “little” or “quite” satisfied by their biologic/JAK treatment, with the main reason of dissatisfaction to be the “I still have frequent flares”. One-fourth (24.1%) reported reduced adherence. Statistically significant associations were found between PROs and disease activity.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite the use of biologic/JAK therapies, this real-world analysis reveals that the disease burden is very high in UC, with poor quality of life as well as increased work impairment, depression, and disease activity in Greek patients.
Conference/Value in Health Info
Value in Health, Volume 27, Issue 12, S2 (December 2024)
Code
PT42
Topic
Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Patient-reported Outcomes & Quality of Life Outcomes, Stated Preference & Patient Satisfaction
Disease
Gastrointestinal Disorders