Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects an estimated 1.6 million people in the United States with at least 70,000 new cases per year. In the last 15 years an increase in frequency of IBD cases from 0.30 cases per 100,000 person-years to 1.83 cases per 100,000 person-years has been reported in Mexico. Variables such as early hospitalization at diagnosis, low hemoglobin levels, high values of C-reactive protein (CRP), fecal calprotectin concentration and absence of mucosal healing during evolution define the prognosis of these patients. However, the distance a patient must travel in order to reach a specialized treatment center can become an impediment for a correct diagnosis and treatment, severely impacting the clinical outcome of such patients. Observational, cross-sectional, retrospective study. Objective: In patients with IBD, determine the impact of distance between the residence and specialized treatment center on the general clinical outcome. Variables analyzed: sex, age, disease duration, average travel time, distance in kilometers between place of residence and specialized treatment center, Crohn´s Disease (CD) or Ulcerative Colitis (UC), and their respective severity classification scores, as well as number of hospital readmissions per year. The results were evaluated with ANOVA tests, univariate analysis had a 95% confidence index and a significant "p" determined as p < 0.05. The study included 66 patients (45 UC and 21 CD). Mean age 51.15± 17.5 years. The distance between residence and hospital was calculated and classified into 3 quartiles based on proximity: 750km (quartile 3). There was a higher risk among patients in the most distant quartile for the use of biological therapy (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 0.23- 20.55) and surgery (OR, 2.76, 95% CI 0.49- 15.48). We observed a clear relationship between the number of hospital readmission and the distance quartiles with a p = 0.0047. We observed an impact between the distance of residence and specialized treatment center over the patient's clinical outcome. More readmissions, greater disease activity scores, more use of biological therapy and surgery were observed in patients who had to travel more than 750km from their home to their specialized treatment center compared to the other travel quartiles, this with a p = 0.0047.

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