Patients with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease (CD) are associated with impaired physical and psychological well-being. These psychological characteristics are dynamic with the course of disease and could be influenced by medical treatment. Infliximab is effective and widely used in moderate-to-severe CD patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the improvement of psychological status after infliximab treatment in patients with newly diagnosed CD.
Newly diagnosed moderate-to-severe CD patients were prospectively enrolled in our study. Infliximab 5 mg/kg was administered at weeks 0, 2, 6, 14, 22, and 30. Outcomes including disease severity, illness perceptions, coping strategies, anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL) were measured at baseline, week 14, and week 30.
Eighty-two patients completed our study. The rates of clinical remission at weeks 14 and 30 were 59/82 (72.0%) and 58/82 (70.7%), respectively. Patients who achieved clinical remission at weeks 14 and 30 significantly improved in illness perceptions (
Effective infliximab treatment not only led to clinical remission in patients with newly diagnosed moderate-to-severe CD but also improved their psychological status including illness perceptions, maladaptive coping, anxiety, depression, and QoL.