Effect of probiotics supplementation combined with WeChat platform health management on nutritional status, inflammatory factors, and quality of life in patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis: a randomized trial.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a refractory disease which is difficult to cure, is increasing in incidence, and is expensive to manage. The impact of long-term remission and recurrence in UC patients can cause a loss of confidence in patients regarding the efficacy of treatment and a lack of compliance, which creates a vicious circle. There is a lack of research on the nutritional status and quality of life (QOL) of UC patients in China. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of probiotics supplementation combined with WeChat platform health management on the nutritional status, inflammatory factor levels, and QOL of patients with mild to moderate UC.

Methods: We enrolled 150 patients diagnosed with mild to moderate UC in the outpatient and inpatient department of the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University between January 2018 to December 2020. Patients were randomly divided into an intervention group (probiotics supplement combined with WeChat platform) and a control group (routine follow-up). Changes to the nutritional status, inflammatory factor levels, and QOL of patients at discharge and 12 weeks after discharge were compared.

Results: After 12 weeks of intervention, the nutritional status, inflammatory factor levels, and QOL scores of the two groups were improved compared with those before 12 weeks. Nutritional status related indicators (PA, ALB, and TP) of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05); the inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α) of the intervention group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05); the SF-36 scores (PF, RP, and SF) in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05); and the IBDQ scores (BS, SS, and EF) in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Probiotics supplements combined with WeChat platform health management have a better curative effect on UC than conventional treatment by significantly improving the nutritional status of patients, reducing the level of inflammatory factors, and improving the QOL of patients. This intervention adds value to the management of UC patients.

Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100046446.