RISE-MX, a real-world study of patients with moderate/severe inflammatory bowel disease returning for hospital follow-up in Mexico: baseline demographics and clinical characteristics, treatment and disease status

Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2025 Feb 17:18:17562848251318857. doi: 10.1177/17562848251318857. eCollection 2025.

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by periods of remission and relapses, and treatment is based on phenotype, risk factors, and disease severity. Treatments include 5-aminosalicylates (5-ASA), thiopurines, methotrexate, calcineurin inhibitors, corticosteroids (CS), biological therapy (BxT), and, more recently, small molecules.

Objective: To determine the baseline demographics and clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and disease status of patients in Mexico with a history of moderate/severe IBD returning for hospital follow-up (Index Day).

Design: This was a non-interventional, cross-sectional study.

Methods: Socio-demographics, clinical characteristics, and prescribed treatments were collected from a retrospective review (3 years) of each patient's medical records.

Results: A total of 326 patients with a diagnosis of moderate/severe IBD at least 6 months before the Index Day were included in the analysis: 95 patients (29.2%) had Crohn's disease (CD) and 231 (70.9%) ulcerative colitis (UC). In the CD group, 45.3% (n = 43) had a Harvey Bradshaw Index score ⩾8 or Crohn's Disease Activity Index ⩾220; 10 patients had a B1-non-stenosing, non-penetrating phenotype and 17 had stenosis (B2). In the UC group, 18.2% (n = 42) had moderate/severe disease and the most frequent presentation was pancolitis (n = 56). Regarding treatment over the previous 3 years: for CD, 62 (65.3%) received CS and 20.0% (n = 19) were CS-dependent; 30.5% received 5-ASA + IMS; 27.4% BxT + IMS; and 38.9% 5-ASA + IMS + BxT. In the case of UC, 74.9% (n = 173) received CS and 32.9% (n = 76) were CS-dependent; 64.5% received 5-ASA + IMS; 2.2% BxT + IMS; and 31.6% 5-ASA + IMS + BxT.

Conclusion: In Mexico, 45.3% of CD patients and 18.1% with UC presented with moderate/severe disease activity. Conventional therapy was used to treat the majority of patients, and the availability of more advanced therapies and a personalized treatment approach is needed to improve clinical outcomes in the future.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease; epidemiology; inflammatory bowel disease; real-world; study; ulcerative colitis.