Patients with ulcerative colitis who had three or more allergic diseases were over eight times more likely to achieve mucosal healing compared to those without allergic conditions, according to a recent study. Among this group, 59.3% achieved mucosal healing.

Researchers investigated the association between allergic diseases and mucosal healing (MH) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). The study, published in Scientific Reports, analyzed data from 289 Japanese patients with UC, aiming to assess whether specific allergic conditions or their multimorbidity were associated with MH, defined as a Mayo Endoscopic Score of 0.

Patients were enrolled between 2015 and 2019, with allergic conditions diagnosed through self-reported questionnaires. Conditions assessed included bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, pollen allergy, food allergy, and drug allergy. Multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for confounders such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking, alcohol use, and medication exposure, including corticosteroids and TNF-α monoclonal antibodies.

The most prevalent allergic condition was pollen allergy (36.3%), followed by bronchial asthma (11.8%) and atopic dermatitis (9.0%). Food allergy and drug allergy were reported by 6.2% and 8.3% of patients, respectively. Among those studied, 49.5% had at least one allergic disease, and 4.2% reported three or more. MH was achieved in 24.6% of the cohort overall.

Results indicated that both pollen allergy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–3.26) and food allergy (aOR: 3.47; 95% CI: 1.26–9.68) were independently associated with higher odds of MH. Patients with three or more allergic diseases demonstrated a markedly higher likelihood of achieving MH (aOR: 8.13; 95% CI: 2.17–34.04; p for trend = 0.020). In contrast, no significant association was observed between allergic diseases and clinical remission, defined as normal stool frequency and absence of rectal bleeding.

The study suggests potential shared pathophysiological mechanisms between UC and allergic diseases, particularly Th2-mediated immune responses involving cytokine IL-4, which may contribute to mucosal healing. However, given the reliance on self-reported diagnoses and the lack of longitudinal data, further research is needed to explore these immunological links and their clinical implications.

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.