Background and Aims Eosinophils are implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A subset of IBD patients develops blood eosinophilia and the clinical profile of these patients is undefined. We sought to characterize IBD patients with and without eosinophilia. Methods We studied a prospective registry of 1176 IBD patients followed in a tertiary referral center. Patients who developed eosinophilia at any time were identified by electronic medical record query. We performed a chart review case-control study comparing patients with recurrent eosinophilia versus randomly selected disease matched patients with no history of eosinophilia. Histological analysis was performed on selected cases and controls. Results Eosinophilia at any time was more prevalent in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients than Crohn’s disease patients (22.2% vs. 12.7%), as was recurrent eosinophilia (3.4% vs. 0.7%). UC patients with recurrent eosinophilia were predominantly male compared to the control UC population (81.3% vs. 46.9%) and had higher rates of colectomy for either medically refractory disease or dysplasia/cancer than control UC patients (56.3% vs. 15.6%). Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) occurred in 37.5% of UC patients with recurrent eosinophilia compared to only 3.1% in the UC controls. Histological analysis of random diagnostic samples from UC patients with recurrent eosinophilia demonstrated a normal eosinophil pattern as seen in the control UC population. Conclusions Eosinophilia-associated UC is a subgroup of IBD associated with severe colitis and PSC. Further studies are warranted to characterize molecular mechanisms underlying eosinophilia-associated UC and to determine optimal approaches for therapy.

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) is highest during the peak reproductive years, hence the increased concern with the safety of IBD drugs during pregnancy. Over the past 11 years, anti-TNF-alpha antibody therapy has emerged as a treatment approach for refractory IBD patients who have failed to achieve or maintain remission with corticosteroids and immunomodulator agents. The TNF-alpha inhibitors (anti-TNFs; infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol) have proven successful in inducing and maintaining remission of moderate-to-severe IBD, but recommendations for the use of these compounds during pregnancy have lacked consensus. Balanced against the potential risk of these drugs on the fetus is the well-established fact that high disease activity has been found to poorly affect pregnancy outcomes in IBD, and the potential use of anti-TNF agents may control disease flare and severity during pregnancy. Concerns regarding the effect of anti-TNFs on the pregnancy and fetus have been assuaged by registry data which has demonstrated an overall positive safety record. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization categorize anti-TNF agents as safe during pregnancy. New knowledge regarding the physiologic timing of placental transfer of therapeutic antibody subclasses and pegylated antibody fragments from the mother into the fetus has also helped to allay concerns. This review will examine the present state of knowledge regarding the use of anti-TNFs in pregnant women with IBD.

We report on the clinical course of CD in patients who develop lymphoma. Significant clinical relapse of CD following successful medical treatment of lymphoma occurred frequently in patients with a history of this neoplasm.

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