P710 The influence of probiotics to the efficacy of 5-ASA for the patients of ulcerative colitis

R. YASUDA, K. Uchiyama, T. Takagi, M. Kubota, S. Sugino, Y. Azuma, H. Kitae, T. Torii, S. Takayama, K. Inoue, K. Katada, K. Kamada, T. Ishikawa, H. Konishi, Y. Naito, Y. Itoh

Department of Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine- Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto, Japan

Background

5-ASA is a key drug to treat the patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). Probiotics is sometimes used to UC patients for the purpose to correct dysbiosis of intestine. In theory, the efficacy of 5-ASA, especially pH-dependent release formulation of mesalazine may be weakened by the co-treatment with probiotics because of its effect leading to acidic condition in large intestine. However, the detail analysis about UC patients treating with 5-ASA and probiotics has not been elucidated. In the present study, we demonstrated the clinical course of UC patients treated by 5-ASA with probiotics to investigate the effect of probiotics to 5-ASA treatment.

Methods

The subjects were 85 UC patients who were in clinical remission and taking 5-ASA at the hospital of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine from January to March 2014. The clinical characteristics (age, sex, clinical activity index, disease location, and type of 5-ASA) and the rate of relapse until October 2019 were compared between probiotics group and no probiotics group. Furthermore, the rates of relapse were analysed for each specific 5-ASA between probiotics user and no probiotics user. The clinical activity index (CAI) was determined using Lichtiger index. The relapse of UC is defined by the increase of CAI, additional medication for UC, and endoscopic deterioration of colonic mucosa.

Results

Patients were included 39 cases in probiotics group and 46 cases in no probiotics group. There was no significant difference between probiotics and no probiotics group on the average age (53.1 ± 16.8 vs. 51.3 ± 14.2 years old, p = 0.59), the rate of male gender (41.0% vs. 41.3%, p =0.97), the average CAI (2.1 ± 0.64 vs. 2.0 ± 0.73, p = 0.59), disease location (extensive/left/rectum: 20/7/12 vs. 21/10/15 cases, p = 0.31), and type of 5-ASA (salazosulfapyridine/time-dependent mesalazine/pH-dependent mesalazine: 5/18/16 vs. 6/18/22 cases, p = 0.46). Besides, there was no significant difference between probiotics group and no probiotics group (51.3% vs. 52.2%, p = 0.93) about the rate of relapse. Regarding each specific 5-ASA usage, there was no significant difference on salazosulfapyridine (40.0% vs. 33.3%, p = 1), time-dependent mesalazine (44.4% vs. 50.0%, p = 1), and pH-dependent mesalazine (62.5% vs. 59.1%, p = 0.90) between probiotics user and no probiotics user.

Conclusion

In the present study, the co-treatment with probiotics did not affect the relapse with UC patients regardless the type of 5-ASA, suggesting that the usage of probiotics might not disturb the efficacy of 5-ASA for UC patients.