Background: Pouchitis and irritable pouch syndrome (IPS) are 2 of the most frequent sequelae of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) after restorative proctocolectomy in patients with ulcerative colitis. These complications can compromise the gain in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) substantially. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying IPS and the predictors of HRQOL in IPS have not been studied so far.
Methods: In IPAA patients in remission (n = 10), patients with pouchitis (n = 18) and patients with IPS (n = 15) symptoms, endoscopical and histological patterns, anxiety and depressiveness (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale HADS), and HRQOL scores (Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, IBDQ-D) were assessed. Mucosal expression of 5 proinflammatory gene transcripts (MRP-14, IL-1beta, IL-8, MIP-2alpha, and MMP-1) were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Results: Clinical symptoms and HRQOL differed significantly (P < 0.01) between patients in remission on the one hand and those with pouchitis or IPS on the other. However, between IPS and pouchitis no such differences could be found. Depressiveness scores differed between IPS and patients in remission (P = 0.05). HRQOL in IPS was predicted by depressiveness (P < 0.001). Cytokine transcripts discriminated between pouchitis and IPS (P < 0.01), whereas between IPS patients and asymptomatic patients no such differences were observed.
Conclusions: Patients with IPS and pouchitis cannot be differentiated by clinical symptoms or HRQOL, which is associated with depressiveness in IPS patients. IPS is a noninflammatory sequela in IPAA patients that shares clinical features with IBD. Quantification of mucosal proinflammatory gene transcripts differentiates objectively and simply between IPS and pouchitis.