Burden of Bowel Urgency in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease: A Real-World Global Study.

Background: Bowel urgency is a highly disruptive and bothersome symptom experienced by patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), (ulcerative colitis [UC], and Crohn's disease [CD]). However, the burden of bowel urgency among patients with varying experiences in targeted treatment has not been consistently assessed. This real-world study explored the clinical and health-related quality of life burden of bowel urgency among patients with IBD with differing treatment experiences.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey included gastroenterologists and their patients with IBD across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States treated for over 3 months. Physicians provided patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment history. Patients reported their health-related quality of life and work productivity. Patients with UC and CD were analyzed separately and stratified into 3 groups: Targeted therapy naïve, those receiving their first-line targeted therapy, and targeted therapy experienced.

Results: This study found that 17%-26% of UC and 13%-17% of CD patients experienced persistent bowel urgency, irrespective of receiving conventional or targeted therapy. Moreover, patients with bowel urgency experienced an increased clinical and health-related quality of life burden compared to patients without bowel urgency, which physicians most commonly regarded as one of the most difficult symptoms to treat, with the burden remaining substantial irrespective of their treatment experience.

Conclusions: Despite several current treatment options, new therapeutic strategies are necessary to provide relief from bowel urgency, one of the most challenging symptoms for people living with IBD.