Urgency for bowel movements is a highly discriminatory symptom of active disease in persons with IBD (the Manitoba Living with IBD study).

Abstract

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Symptom Inventory (IBDSI) is a validated patient self-reported measure used to assess IBD disease activity. There have yet to be more granular analyses on which symptoms are most associated with active disease. To assess the prevalence of symptoms, and to examine which are most associated with disease activity as measured by a symptom index and objective measure of inflammation METHODS: The Manitoba Living with IBD Study is a prospective study of 156 participants with confirmed IBD who completed bi-weekly IBDSI. Relative risks (RR) and predictive values (NPV and PPV) were reported for each symptom to predict active disease defined as active IBDSI, self-reported flare and elevated faecal calprotectin (FCAL) (>250 μg/g). Analyses were undertaken following stratification based on sex, and disease type (Crohn's disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]). In total, 69.2% were female; 64.7% had CD. Fatigue was the most prevalent symptom in both inactive and active disease, across all three disease measures (IBDSI: 24.5% and 75.1%, self-reported flare: 42.2% and 72.2%, FCAL: 46.0% and 60.6%). The absence of fatigue had a high NPV for active IBDSI and self-reporting a flare in both CD and UC. Urgency had a consistently strong NPV and RR across all three disease measures in both IBD subtypes and sexes. The number of loose/liquid bowel movements predicted elevated FCAL in UC (RR males=3.5, 95% CI 1.2-9.9, RR females=1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7), as did blood in stool in UC females (RR=1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7). In males with CD, excessive bowel gas (RR=2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.4) and urgency (RR=3.9, 95% CI 1.6-9.3) best predicted an elevated FCAL. No symptom was strongly predictive of an elevated FCAL in CD females. Urgency was consistently associated with disease activity, irrespective of the disease measure. Fatigue was the most prevalent symptom irrespective of disease activity measure. Individual symptoms have different impacts on subjective (IBDSI) and objective (FCAL) measures in IBD.