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OBJECTIVE
Mucosal healing (MH) is an important treatment goal in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but factors predicting MH under medical therapy are largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to characterize predictive factors for MH in anti-TNF-alpha antibody-treated IBD patients.

METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed 248 IBD patients (61.3% CD, 38.7% UC) treated with anti-TNF-alpha antibodies (infliximab and/or adalimumab) for MH, defined as macroscopic absence of inflammatory lesions (Mayo endoscopy score 0 or SES-CD score 0) in colonoscopies which were analyzed before and after initiation of an anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment.

RESULTS
In patients treated with only one anti-TNF-alpha antibody ("TNF1 group", n = 202), 56 patients (27.7%) achieved complete MH at follow-up colonoscopy (median overall follow-up time: 63 months). In a second cohort (n = 46), which comprised patients who were consecutively treated with two anti-TNF-alpha antibodies ("TNF2 group"), 13 patients (28.3%) achieved complete MH (median overall follow-up time: 64.5 months). Compared to patients without MH, CRP values at follow-up colonoscopy were significantly lower in patients with MH (TNF1 group: p = 8.35×10-5; TNF2 group: p = 0.002). Multivariate analyses confirmed CRP at follow-up colonoscopy as predictor for MH in the TNF1 group (p = 0.012). Overall need for surgery was lower in patients with MH (TNF1 group: p = 0.01; TNF2 group: p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS
We identified low serum CRP level at follow-up colonoscopy as predictor for MH, while MH was an excellent negative predictor for the need for surgery.