Prediction of Response to Systemic Corticosteroids

The microbiome of patients with ulcerative colitis was analysed in 18 Austrian hospitals. The researchers compared the subjects' stool samples before and after 4 weeks of corticosteroid therapy. The aim was to see if the composition of the microbiome at the start of therapy could provide an indication of the success of the therapy.  It also looked at how the microbiome changed over the course of therapy and whether there were differences between people who responded to therapy and those who didn't. The study, which was funded by the Austrian Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the Jubilee Fund of the Austrian National Bank and the BMBF, included patients from the Division of Internal Medicine 2 at the University Hospital St. Pölten. The paper has been published in the open access journal "Inflammatory Bowel Diseases".

Blesl, A, Wurm, P, Waschina, S, Gröchenig, HP, Novacek, G, Primas, C, Reinisch, W, Kutschera, M, Illiasch, C, Hennlich, B, Steiner, P, Koch, R, Tillinger, W, Haas, T, Reicht, G, Mayer, A, Ludwiczek, O, Miehsler, W, Steidl, K, Binder, L, Reider, S, Watschinger, C, Fürst, S, Kump, P, Moschen, A, Aden, K, Gorkiewicz, G & Högenauer, C 2024, 'Prediction of Response to Systemic Corticosteroids in Active UC by Microbial Composition—A Prospective Multicenter Study', Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 9-19. https://doi.org/10.1093/ibd/izad126