Holotranscobalamin versus Total Vit B12 as Indicators of Vit B12 deficiency in Thyrogastric Syndrome

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2013), 1

Safety And Cost Of Infliximab For The Treatment Of Belgian Pediatric Patients With Crohn’s Disease

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2012, February)

Safety and cost of infliximab for the treatment of Belgian pediatric patients with Crohn's disease.

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2012), 75(4), 425-31

Biologicals have become an important component in the treatment of Crohn's disease in children. Their increased and long term use raises safety concerns. We describe safety and cost of infliximab in ... [more ▼]

Biologicals have become an important component in the treatment of Crohn's disease in children. Their increased and long term use raises safety concerns. We describe safety and cost of infliximab in Belgian pediatric Crohn's disease patients. All patients on infliximab as part of the present or past treatment for Crohn's Disease until January 1st 2011 were selected from an existing database. Information on disease phenotype, medication and adverse events were extracted. Adverse events occurred in 25.9% of patients exposed to infliximab of which 29.6% were severe. In total 31.7% of patients stopped infliximab therapy. The main reasons for discontinuation were adverse events in 45.4% and loss of response in 30.3%. No malignancies or lethal complications occurred over this 241 patient year observation period. Immunomodulators were concomitant medication in 75% of patients and were discontinued subsequently in 38.4% of them. The cost of infliximab infusions per treated patient per year in the Belgian health care setting is approximately 9 474 euro, including only medication and hospital related costs. Even though infliximab is relatively safe in pediatric CD on the short term, close follow-up and an increased awareness of the possible adverse reactions is highly recommended. Adverse reactions appeared in 25.9% of all patients and were the main reason for discontinuation. Treatment cost has to be balanced against efficacy and modifications in disease course. In the Belgian health care system, the medication is available to all patients with moderate to severe CD. [less ▲]

Upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding management: Belgian guidelines for adults and children.

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2011), 74

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) remains a common disease affecting 100 to 170 per 100 000 adults per year and causing thereby a significant burden to healthcare resources. Despite the improvements ... [more ▼]

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) remains a common disease affecting 100 to 170 per 100 000 adults per year and causing thereby a significant burden to healthcare resources. Despite the improvements in the management of this disorder, the associated mortality ranges from 5 to 14 %. Since the general management of UGIB is not uniform, the main objective of this work is to provide guidelines for the care of adults and children presenting with bleeding caused by gastro-duodenal ulcer or variceal rupture. Methods: In the absence of evidence-based recommendations, these guidelines were proposed after expert opinions reconciliation and graded accordingly. They are based on the published literature up to September 2010 and graded according to the class of evidence. Results: The current guidelines for the management of UGIB include recommendations for the diagnostic process, general supportive care, pharmacological therapy aiming at bleeding control, specific and endoscopic treatment of acute bleeding and follow-up for both gastro-duodenal ulcers and portal hypertension induced bleeding. [less ▲]

Outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma listed for liver transplantation before and after the MELD-based allocation system within Eurotransplant. A BElgian multicentre retrospective study.

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2011, March), 74(1), 13

Laparoscopic liver resection: monocentric university experience

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2011, March), 74(1), 30

Evolution over a 15 year period of the epidemiological profile of 2884 newly diagnosed HCV patients in Belgium.

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2011, March), 74

IL28B polymorphism and the control of hepatitis C virus infection: ready for clinical use?

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2011), 74(2), 317-322

Polymorphisms in the region of the interleukin-28B (IL28B) gene have recently been associated with spontaneous and treatment induced clearance of hepatitis C virus infection. The specific mechanisms of ... [more ▼]

Polymorphisms in the region of the interleukin-28B (IL28B) gene have recently been associated with spontaneous and treatment induced clearance of hepatitis C virus infection. The specific mechanisms of how IL28B polymorphisms affect HCV suppression remain unknown. It is a matter of ongoing debate how to incorporate the IL28B data into the current treatment algorithms with pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin. The eventual role of the IL28B genotype in new therapeutic regimes with direct antiviral agents needs to be explored in the ongoing and future clinical studies with these agents. [less ▲]

Mucosal gene expression profiling differentiates early from late ileal Crohn's disease

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2011)

Tolerability of shortened infliximab infusion times in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a single center cohort study

in Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica (2011)