Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Jan 7, 2014; 20(1): 214-218
Published online Jan 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i1.214
Time of infliximab therapy initiation and dose escalation in Crohn’s disease
Mindy CW Lam, Terry Lee, Kenneth Atkinson, Brian Bressler
Mindy CW Lam, Kenneth Atkinson, Brian Bressler, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K5, Canada
Terry Lee, Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K5, Canada
Author contributions: Lam MCW is the primary author of the study and was involved in data collection; Lee T performed statistical analysis on the data and was involved in editing the manuscript; Atkinson K was content expert and involved in editing the manuscript; Bressler B was the principle investigator, content expert and involved in editing the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Brian Bressler, MD, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia,770-1190 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K5, Canada. brian_bressler@hotmail.com
Telephone: +1-604-6886332 Fax: +1-604-6892004
Received: June 6, 2013
Revised: September 20, 2013
Accepted: October 19, 2013
Published online: January 7, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Crohn’s disease patients who required infliximab therapy earlier (< 2 years) probably have a higher inflammatory burden of disease than those who require infliximab therapy later. Our results show that those who receive infliximab within 2 years of diagnosis require more intense immunosuppressant therapy to avoid dose escalation. This finding supports the importance of concurrent immunosuppressant therapy while on infliximab, as previously described by the SONIC trial.