Impact of interobserver disagreement on phenotype-genotype associations in Crohn's disease.

Background: Nonvalidated definitions of disease-related parameters in inflammatory bowel disease cause variations in diagnosis and disease classification. We determined interobserver agreement on applications of definitions of the Vienna Classification variables and computed the potential influence of misclassification on genotype/phenotype associations.

Methods: Ten records of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) were independently evaluated by 19 observers using a standardized inflammatory bowel disease documentation system, which included the Vienna Classification.

Impact of depressive mood on relapse in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective 18-month follow-up study.

Objective: There is evidence of an interaction between psychological factors and activity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We examined the influence of depressive mood and associated anxiety on the course of IBD over a period of 18 months in a cohort of patients after an episode of active disease.

Methods: In this prospective, longitudinal, observational study, 60 patients (37 women and 23 men) with clinically inactive IBD (Crohn disease, n = 47, 78%; ulcerative colitis, n = 13, 22%) were enrolled after a flare of disease.