Two-year delay in ulcerative colitis diagnosis is associated with anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha use

Table 2 Diagnostic delay and prognosis

Diag-nostic inter-val	3 mo			6 mo			12 mo			18 mo			24 mo
	Early group (%)	Delay group (%)	P value	Early group (%)	Delay group (%)	P value	Early group (%)	Delay group (%)	P value	Early group (%)	Delay group (%)	P value	Early group (%)	Delay group (%)	P value
	322	229		401	150		452	99		496	55		509	42
	(58.4)	(41.6)		(72.8)	(27.2)		(82.0)	(18)		(90)	(10)		(92.4)	(7.6)
Anti-TNFα use			0.150			0.249			0.847			0.137			0.019
No	288	213		361	140		410	91		454	47		467	34
	(89.4)	(93.0)		(90.0)	(93.3)		(90.7)	(91.9)		(91.5)	(85.5)		(91.7)	(81.0)
Yes	34	16		40	10		42	8		42	8		42	8
	(10.6)	(7.0)		(10.0)	(6.7)		(9.3)	(8.1)		(8.5)	(14.5)		(8.3)	(19.0)
Admission (flare-up)			0.269			0.203			1.000			0.509			0.703
No	246	184		307	123		353	77		389	41		398	32
	(76.4)	(80.3)		(76.6)	(82.0)		(78.1)	(77.8)		(78.4)	(74.5)		(78.2)	(76.2)
Yes	76	45		94	27		99	22		107	14		111	10
	(23.6)	(19.7)		(23.4)	(18.0)		(21.9)	(22.2)		(21.8)	(25.5)		(21.8)	(23.8)
Frequent admission			0.150			0.384			0.443			0.806			0.412
No	288	213		362	139		409	92		450	51		461	40
	(89.4)	(93.0)		(90.3)	(92.7)		(90.5)	(92.9)		(90.7)	(92.7)		(90.6)	(95.2)
Yes	34	16		39	11		43	7		46	4		48	2
	(10.6)	(7.0)		(9.7)	(7.3)		(9.5)	(7.1)		(9.3)	(7.3)		(9.4)	(4.8)
Surgery-related UC			0.457			0.092			0.114			0.523			0.428
No	319	225		398	146		448	96		490	54		503	41
	(99.1)	(98.3)		(99.3)	(97.3)		(99.1)	(97.7)		(98.8)	(98.2)		(98.8)	(97.6)
Yes	3	4		3	4		4	3		6	1		6	1
	(0.9)	(1.7)		(0.7)	(2.7)		(0.9)	(3.0)		(1.2)	(1.8)		(1.2)	(2.4)
Clinical remission			0.866			0.842			0.509			0.679			0.338
No	191	142		97	37		267	66		300	33		310	23
	(71.0)	(71.7)		(29.0)	(28.0)		(70.6)	(74.2)		(71.6)	(68.8)		(71.9)	(63.9)
Yes	78	56		238	95		111	23		119	15		121	13
	(29.0)	(28.3)		(71.0)	(72.0)		(29.4)	(25.8)		(28.4)	(31.3)		(28.1)	(36.1)

The early group was defined as receiving a diagnosis earlier than the diagnostic interval, and the delay group was defined as receiving a later diagnosis. Clinical remission was investigated in 467 patients. And the proportion of the delay group in 467 patients was similar to that of 551 patients: 3 mo (42.3%), 6 mo (28.2%), 12 mo (19%), 18 mo (9.6%) and 24 mo (7.7%). Anti-TNFα: Anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha; UC: Ulcerative colitis.