Table 3.
Secondary outcomes, n (%)
| LDAA patients | AZAm patients | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steroid withdrawal within 6 months | 44/47 (94%) | 27/31 (87%) | 0.33 |
| Calcineurin inhibitor withdrawal | 4/6 (67%) | 0/2 (0%) | 0.10 |
| Anti-tumour necrosis factor withdrawala | 4/13 (31%) | 0/3 (0%) | 0.27 |
| SCCAI ≤ 2 at last review | 37/53 (70%) | 24/38 (63%) | 0.51 |
| HBI ≤ 4 at last review | 32/53 (60%) | 21/40 (53%) | 0.45 |
| CRP entire treatment duration: | |||
| ≤ 10 mg/L | 93/158 (59%) | 59/94 (63%) | 0.54 |
| ≤ 5 mg/L | 65/158 (41%) | 40/94 (43%) | 0.83 |
LDAA low-dose azathioprine with allopurinol, AZAm azathioprine monotherapy, SCCAI Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index, HBI Harvey-Bradshaw Index, CRP C-reactive protein
Disease activity scores (SCCAI for ulcerative colitis or HBI for Crohn’s disease) were documented in the patients’ medical records during follow-up in 106/166 (64%) LDAA and 78/118 (66%) AZAm patients; CRP values were available in 158 (95%) and 94 (80%) patients, respectively
Eight LDAA patients and 13 AZAm patients could not be assessed for rate of steroid, calcineurin inhibitor or anti-tumour necrosis factor withdrawal, due to insufficient documentation or cessation of thiopurine therapy within 6 months (only applicable for steroid withdrawal)
aBiologic therapy could be tapered off in 2/3 LDAA patients (but not in the single AZAm patient) using biologics prior to thiopurine initiation. Of the patients who commenced thiopurine and biologic therapy simultaneously because of a top-down therapeutic approach, 2/10 LDAA and 0/2 AZAm patients could discontinue biologic during follow-up