VOL. 12 NO. 4 APRIL 2018 - Disease Severity Indexes and Psych Care in Chronic Digestive Diseases

Sep 27, 2026

April 2018 GI & Hepatology News highlights developments in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and chronic digestive care. A severity index is described for standardizing disease severity definitions across Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, based on an analysis identifying key severity attributes. The issue also reviews psychogastroenterology approaches, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and gut-directed hypnotherapy, outlining their effects on GI symptoms and patient coping. Additional coverage includes liver cancer trends linked to NASH and editorial perspectives.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Disease severity index for IBD

Severity attributes and key contributors

Incorporating psych care in chronic digestive disease management

CBT and gut-directed hypnotherapy review

NASH rapidly overtaking hepatitis C as liver cancer cause

Projected trends and reported analysis

Letter from the editor

Hope, hepatology, and social determinants of health

VOL. 12 NO. 4 APRIL 2018 Disease severity indexes were created for each severity attribute on a 100-point scale, reported Dr. Corey A. Siegel. New study establishes IBD severity index BY MADHU RAJARAMAN Frontline Medical News Experts have established a severity index for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to results of an analysis published in the journal Gut (doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-312648) . The index, conceived by a panel of IBD specialists from the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, is a step toward the standardization of disease severity definitions in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The panel determined 16 severity attributes for Crohn’s disease and 13 for ulcerative colitis. The anal- ysis found that, in Crohn’s disease, mucosal lesions, fistulas, and abscesses were the greatest contributors to disease severity at 15.8%, 10.9%, and 9.7%, respectively. In ulcerative colitis, 18.1% of disease severity was attributed to mucosal lesions, 14% to impact on daily activities, and 11.2% to C-reactive protein, wrote Corey A. Siegel, MD, MS, of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N. H., and his coauthors. Investigators used a PubMed literature search to identify three broad elements of disease severity: impact of disease symptoms on daily activities, inflammatory burden, and disease course. See Index · page 20 Presorted Standard U.S . Postage PAID Permit No . 384 Lebanon Jct . KY GI & Hepatology News CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED 151 Fairchild Ave., Suite 2, Plainview, NY 11803-1709 COURTESY DR . COREY A . SIEGEL Incorporating psych care in management of chronic digestive diseases BY CHHAVI JAIN Frontline Medical News Psychogastroenterol ogy is the science of applying psychological principles and techniques to alleviate the burden of chronic digestive diseases. This burden includes digestive symptoms and disease severity, as well as patients’ability to cope with them. Chronic digestive diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and inflammatory bowel diseases, cannot be disentangled from their psychosocial context. In this regard, the role of gastroenterologists in promoting best practices for the assessment and referral of patients across the spectrum of disease to brain-gut psychotherapies is crucial. In a review by Laurie Keefer, PhD and her coauthors, published in the April issue of Gastroenterology, provided a clinical update on the structure and efficacy of two major classes of psychogastroenterology – cognitivebehavioral therapy (CBT) and gut-directed hypnotherapy (HYP) . Thereview discussed the effects of these therapies on GI symptoms and the patients’ ability to improve coping, resilience, and self-regulation. Thereview also provided a framework to understand See Psych care · page 21 I N S I D E NEWS Commentary Some AGA wins in Congressional budget. • 5 FROM THE AGA JOURNALS Opioids linked to mortality in IBD Prescriptions for opioids have increased in the past 20 years. • 9 IBD AND INTESTINAL DISORDERS Tofacitinib approved for UC FDA panel adds indication. • 21 ENDOSCOPY Nonendoscopic nonmalignant polyp surgery up This procedure is not recommended, however. • 24 NASH rapidly overtaking hepatitis Cas cause of liver cancer BY BIANCA NOGRADY Frontline Medical News Nonalcoholic steatohep atitis (NASH) is rapidly eclipsing hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as the leading contributor to liver cancer in the United States. Researchers reported on their analysis of past prevalence of HCV, NASH, and alcoholic cirrhosis and prediction of future trendsand their effect on hepatocellular carcinoma in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology. The analysis, based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Organ Procurement and See NASH · page 22 Saturday, June 2, 2018 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Sunday, Ju

FAQs

What is the purpose of the IBD severity index described in the issue?

The index aims to standardize disease severity definitions in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease using a structured set of severity attributes.

How were severity attributes organized for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis?

The panel determined 16 severity attributes for Crohn’s disease and 13 for ulcerative colitis, then assessed which attributes contributed most to overall severity.

Which psychogastroenterology therapies are highlighted, and what outcomes are emphasized?

The issue reviews cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and gut-directed hypnotherapy, focusing on effects on GI symptoms and patients’ ability to improve coping, resilience, and self-regulation.

Sep 27, 2026

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