Year 2004 / Volume 96 / Number 8
Original
Retreatment and maintenance therapy with infliximab infistulizing Crohn’s disease

0

L. Rodrigo, J. M. Pérez-Pariente, D. Fuentes, V. Cadahia, A. García-Carbonero, P. Niño, R. de Francisco, R. Tojo, M. Moreno and E. González-Ballina

Abstract
Objectives: infliximab has clearly demonstrated its efficacy in the short-term treatment of fistulizing Crohn’s disease. We present here the results of retreatment and long-term maintenance
therapy.

Patients and methods: eighty one consecutive patients with active fistulizing Crohn’s disease, in whom previous treatments had failed, were treated with infliximab. All patients received as the initial treatment of 5 mg/kg i.v. infusions (weeks 0, 2, and 6).
Those patients who failed to respond after the initial cycle (group 1, n= 25), or those who relapsed after having responded (group 2, n=13), received retreatment with three similar doses (weeks
0,2, and 6). Those who responded to retreatment were included in a long-term maintenance programme (n=44), with repeated doses (5 mg/kg i.v. infusions) every eight weeks for 1-2 years.

Results: in the initial treatment 56% of the patients responded partially; this response being complete in 44%. In the retreatment, 28% of group 1 (non-responders) presented a complete response,
compared to 77% in group 2 (relapsers) (p< 0.0001). In the maintenance treatment, the global response was 88% (39/44). The mean number of doses per patient was 4.4 ± 2 (range 1-9) with a duration of 36 ± 12 weeks (range 8-72). Adverse
effects were not significantly increased in either treatment.

Conclusions: both retreatment and long-term maintenance therapy with infliximab, are highly effective and well tolerated in fistulizing Crohn’s disease patients.
Share Button
New comment
Comments
No comments for this article
Related articles
Citation tools
L. Rodrigo, J. M. Pérez-Pariente, D. Fuentes, V. Cadahia, A. García-Carbonero, P. Niño, R. de Francisco, R. Tojo, M. Moreno and E. González-Ballina. Retreatment and maintenance therapy with infliximab infistulizing Crohn’s disease. 0


Download to a citation manager

Download the citation for this article by clicking on one of the following citation managers:

Metrics
This article has received 651 visits.
This article has been downloaded 7 times.
Share
This article has been rated by 1 readers.
Reader rating:
Valora este artículo:




Asociación Española de Ecografía Digestiva Sociedad Española de Endoscopia Digestiva Sociedad Española de Patología Digestiva
The Spanish Journal of Gastroenterology is the official organ of the Sociedad Española de Patología Digestiva, the Sociedad Española de Endoscopia Digestiva and the Asociación Española de Ecografía Digestiva
Cookie policy Privacy Policy Legal Notice © Copyright 2023 y Creative Commons. The Spanish Journal of Gastroenterology