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Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which encompasses both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), is a risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).Aim: To investigate the incidence of, and risk factors for, VTE in patients with IBD in Japan.Methods: This was a retrospective, non-interventional study in patients with IBD from the Japan Medical Data Center claims database. Incidence rates (IRs; unique patients with events per 100 patient-years) were calculated for VTE, DVT, and PE among the IBD, UC, and CD cohorts. Odds ratios of potential risk factors were calculated by univariate and multivariate analyses in a nested case-control design.Results: Overall, 16 273 patients with IBD were included: 13 585 with UC and 3443 with CD. VTE events occurred in 1.3%, 1.2%, and 1.9% of patients with IBD, UC, and CD, respectively. In patients with IBD, UC, and CD, IRs of VTE were 0.45, 0.40, and 0.64, respectively, IRs of DVT were 0.42, 0.38, and 0.61, respectively, and IRs of PE were 0.07, 0.07, and 0.11, respectively. In patients with IBD, treatment history (immunomodulators), cardiovascular risk (hypertension, high-density lipoprotein or diabetes mellitus, and history of coronary artery disease or heart failure), malignancy, and undergoing major surgery were identified as potential risk factors for VTE in the multivariate analysis, with similar risk factors reported for patients with UC and CD.Conclusions: This large study provides insight into the incidence and risk factors for VTE in patients with IBD from Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown cause that is characterized pathologically by an inflammatory and fibrotic process centered on the epithelium, leading to diffuse biliary stenosis and increased wall thickness throughout the intra- and extra-hepatic biliary trees. A nationwide survey in Japan revealed several differences in the clinical aspects of PSC between Japan and Western countries. PSC was recently designated an intractable hepatobiliary disease in Japan. The aim of this study was to establish Japanese diagnostic criteria for PSC according to the current Japanese conditions.Methods: The Intractable Hepato-Biliary Diseases Study Group in Japan of the Committee of Research on Measures for Intractable Diseases established a working group consisting of researchers specializing in PSC and proposed the 2016 Japanese diagnostic criteria for PSC.Results: The diagnostic criteria consisted of the major and minor items. Major items are directly related to bile duct changes based on biliary tract imaging and an increased alkaline phosphatase level. Minor items consist of an association with inflammatory bowel disease and liver histology.Conclusion: The diagnostic criteria for PSC are useful for general physicians in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: There has been increased interest in sleep disorders in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Studies in North America and Europe reported that the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is much higher in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) than in the general population. The aim of this study was to reveal the prevalence and clinical features of RLS in Japanese patients with IBD and investigate the influence of RLS on sleep quality and quality of life (QOL).Methods: The study included 80 outpatients with IBD who visited Nagasaki University Hospital between December 2012 and July 2014. All patients completed the international RLS study group rating scale, a validated measure of the presence of RLS. Sleep quality was assessed using the Japanese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and health-related QOL was assessed using the Japanese version of the 36-item short form healthy profile (SF-36) version 2.Results: The prevalence of RLS in patients with IBD was 20%, including rates of 21.7% in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 17.6% in patients with CD. Among patients with CD, the proportion of women and serum level of CRP were higher in the RLS group than in the non-RLS group. Among those with UC, there were no differences in clinical characteristics between the RLS and non-RLS groups. Patients in the RLS group slept significantly less well than those in the non-RLS group (PSQI > 5; 62.5 vs. 34.4%, P < 0.05). No significant relationships were observed between QOL indices and the presence of RLS (SF-36 physical score, 46.8 vs. 50.1; mental score, 43.8 vs. 45.7; role/social score, 48.1 vs. 49.2).Conclusions: RLS occurs frequently in Japanese patients with UC as well as CD. RLS affects sleep quality but not QOL, and it should be considered one of the causes of sleep disturbance in patients with IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]