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Despite patients being treated early and frequently with immunomodulators and biological therapy in Western Europe, 5-year outcomes including surgery and phenotype progression in this cohort were comparable across Western and Eastern Europe. Differences in treatment strategies between Western and Eastern European centres did not affect the disease course. Treatment with immunomodulators reduced the risk of surgery and hospitalisation.

Background and aims: Few population-based cohort studies have assessed the disease course of ulcerative colitis (UC) in the era of biological therapy and widespread use of immunomodulators. The aim of this study was to assess the five-year outcome and disease course of patients with UC in the Epi-IBD cohort. Methods: In a prospective, population-based inception cohort of unselected patients with UC patients were followed-up from the time of their diagnosis, which included the collection of their clinical data, demographics, disease activity, medical therapy, and rates of surgery, cancers and deaths. Associations between outcomes and multiple covariates were analysed by Cox regression analysis. Results: A total of 717 patients were included in the study. During follow-up, 43 (6%) patients underwent a colectomy, while 163 (23%) patients were hospitalized. Of patients with limited colitis (distal to the left flexure), 90 (21%) progressed to extensive colitis. In addition, 92 (27%) patients with extensive colitis experienced a regression in disease extent, which was associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization (HR: 0.5 CI95% 0.3-0.8). Overall, patients were treated similarly in both geographical regions and 80 (11%) patients needed biological therapy while 210 (29%) patients received immunomodulators. Treatment with immunomodulators was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization (HR: 0.5 CI95% 0.3-0.8). Conclusions: While patients in this population-based cohort were treated more aggressively with immunomodulators and biological therapy than in cohorts from the previous two decades, their disease outcomes including colectomy rates were no different. However, treatment with immunomodulators was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization.

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