Effectiveness of adalimumab in severe ulcerative colitis: A systematic review and a meta-analysis.

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) causes chronic inflammation in the digestive tract, leading to abdominal pain and diarrhea. Adalimumab, a monoclonal antibody, is used to treat moderate to severe cases. This review and meta-analysis evaluated adalimumab's effectiveness for severe UC, considering patient age, disease duration, and gender. This study was designed as a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Articles were searched in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases based on the keywords of adalimumab and UC. The titles, the abstracts, and, if necessary, the full texts of the articles were read. Then for further review, the full texts of the related articles were carefully examined, and the final articles were selected. Seventy-eight articles were searched based on the keywords, and after reading the articles, 50 articles were related to the topic of the dissertation. The 50 articles were evaluated critically based on a checklist prepared by a statistical consultant and four articles with a score above 70% were selected. In the four articles, the main indicators of the effectiveness of adalimumab, including mucosal healing, clinical remission, and clinical response, were evaluated. The effectiveness of adalimumab on the mucosal healing index was 75.40%, the clinical remission index was 70.79%, and the clinical response index was 83.02%, based on different doses and treatment durations in the study. In the four meta-analysis studies on adalimumab's effectiveness, 1613 UC patients were treated with varying doses over 8 and 52 weeks. Based on a meta-analysis over 8 and 52 weeks for treating moderate to severe UC, adalimumab's effectiveness was 70%-83%. The highest effectiveness, based on three main indices, was with a 40 mg dose over 52 weeks. According to the meta-analysis, the effectiveness of adalimumab for treating moderate to severe UC over 8 and 52 weeks was 70%-83%. The highest effectiveness, based on three main indices, was with a 40 mg dose over 52 weeks.