Aim: To assess the effectiveness of conservative treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) with perianal lesions.
Materials and methods: The study included 20 patients with CD with perianal fistulae. Prior to the start of conservative therapy, 7 patients underwent fistulae drainage with setton placement. During the study, all patients received therapy with certolizumab pegol (CP) for a year. At the time of treatment initiation and after 12 months, the CD activity index, the quality of life according to IBDQ questionnaires and the perianal Crohn's disease activity index (PCDAI) were assessed.
Results: After a year of CP therapy, clinical remission was achieved in 8 (40%) patients, endoscopic remission in 7 (35%) patients, fistula closure in 6 (30%) patients. There was also a decrease in the PCDAI with the average score 3.6 points compared to 9.3 points (p˂0.05) prior to the treatment. An improvement in the quality of life of patients was also established, the average quality of life index was 182,2 points compared to 156,0 points (p˂0.05) prior to the treatment.
Conclusion: This study showed that CP therapy is effective in treatment of CD with perianal lesions.
Keywords: Crohn’s disease; certolizumab pegol; perianal lesions.