Patient characteristics
| Characteristic | Algorithm (n=33)* | IFX intensification (n=36) | All (n=69) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | ||||
| Male sex | 13 (39) | 14 (39) | 27 (39) | 1.000 |
| Age (years) | 36 (19–81) | 37 (19–63) | 37 (19–81) | 0.697 |
| Disease duration (years) | 7 (1–27) | 10 (1–35) | 9 (1–35) | 0.190 |
| Smoking | 6 (18) | 12 (33) | 18 (26) | 0.179 |
| Reason for inclusion | ||||
| Luminal disease | 25 (76) | 30 (83) | 55 (80) | 0.416 |
| Fistulising disease | 3 (9) | 4 (11) | 7 (10) | |
| Both luminal and fistulising disease | 5 (15) | 2 (6) | 7 (10) | |
| Previous intestinal resection | 10 (30) | 10 (28) | 20 (29) | 1.000 |
| Concomitant immunosuppression† | 13 (39) | 14 (39) | 27 (39) | 1.000 |
| Systemic corticosteroids or budesonide | 1 (3) | 1 (3) | 2 | 1.000 |
| IFX infusions at inclusion | 12 (4–51) | 12 (4–37) | 12 (4–51) | 0.981 |
| Treatment duration at IFX failure (days) | 681 (126–3313) | 635 (97–1913) | 657 (97–3313) | 0.753 |
| Previous episodic IFX therapy | 8 (24) | 6 (17) | 14 (20) | 0.553 |
| Baseline | ||||
| CDAI‡ | 296 (221–526) | 301 (230–487) | 299 (221–526) | 0.776 |
| Draining perianal fistulas§ | 1 (1–3) | 3 (1–8) | 2 (1–8) | 0.186 |
| PDAI§ | 9 (5–13) | 9 (6–12) | 9 (5–13) | 0.866 |
| IBDQ | 40 (18–65) | 40 (18–61) | 40 (18–65) | 0.928 |
| CRP (mg/mL)¶ | 9 (3–21) | 6 (1–28) | 9 (2–22) | 0.971 |
| Costs Crohn's disease 52 weeks prior to inclusion (€)** | 19 361 (13 066) | 16 827 (4696) | 18 020 (9598) | 0.390 |
| All costs 52 weeks prior to inclusion (€)** | 21 715 (13 268) | 18 188 (4673) | 19 848 (9798) | 0.280 |
Unless otherwise stated, values are mean (range) or number (%).
*Cost data were unavailable for one patient in the algorithm group.
†Azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine or methotrexate.
‡Patients with active luminal disease at inclusion (CDAI ≥220).
§Patients with active fistulising disease at inclusion (≥1 draining fistula).
¶Values are median (IQR).
**Values are mean (SD).
CDAI, Crohn's Disease Activity Index; CRP, C-reactive protein; IFX, infliximab; IBDQ, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire; PDAI, Perianal Disease Activity Index.