Host: Alka Goyal, MD

Higher Postinduction Infliximab Serum Trough Levels Are Associated With Healing of Fistulizing Perianal Crohn’s Disease in Children.

Wael El-Matary, MD, MScThomas D Walters, MDHien Q Huynh, MDJennifer deBruyn, MDDavid R Mack, MDKevan Jacobson, MDMary E Sherlock, MDPeter Church, MDEytan Wine, MD, PhDMatthew W Carroll, MD, Eric I Benchimol, MD, PhD Sally Lawrence, MD Anne M Griffiths, MD

Background:

There is some evidence in adults that higher serum infliximab (IFX) levels are needed to adequately treat fistulizing perianal Crohn's disease (CD). However, data in children are lacking. We aimed to determine postinduction serum trough IFX levels that are associated with healing of fistulizing perianal CD (PCD) at week 24.

Methods:

In a multicenter inception cohort study, consecutive children younger than age 17 years with fistulizing perianal CD treated with IFX between April 2014 and June 2017 who had serum trough IFX titers measured before the fourth infusion were included. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated to determine the best cutoff to predict fistula …