The association between drugs and repeated treatment with budesonide in patients with microscopic colitis: a retrospective observational study

Abstract

Background: Smoking and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and statins have been associated with microscopic colitis (MC). Objectives: We investigated whether these factors were associated with repeated budesonide treatments in patients diagnosed with MC. Design: Retrospective observational study. Methods: All patients with a histologically verified diagnosis of MC at our clinic between the years 2006 and 2022 were identified. Baseline factors and drugs prescribed before and after diagnosis were registered. The influence of risk factors on the odds of having a prescription of oral budesonide and the odds of having a second course of budesonide was studied. Results: Patients with MC ( n = 183) with a mean age of 62.3 years [standard deviation (SD): 13.3 years] were followed for a median of 5 years (25th–75th percentile 4–10 years) after diagnosis. In all, 138 patients (75%) had at least one prescription of budesonide after diagnosis, and 90 patients (49%) had at least one clinical relapse treated with budesonide. Patients who had been prescribed NSAIDs within 1 year before clinical relapse had higher odds for clinical relapse [odds ratio (OR): 3.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06–12.9] but there was no increased risk for clinical relapse for the use of ASA (OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.39–2.90), PPIs (OR: 1.09, 95% CI: 0.45–2.63), SSRI (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 0.82–2.44), or statins (OR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.35–1.99). No association was seen between being a smoker and/or being prescribed NSAID, ASA, PPI, SSRI, and statins at baseline and the odds of having a prescription of oral budesonide within 1 year after diagnosis. Conclusion: The risk of being prescribed a second course of budesonide is associated with receiving a prescription of NSAIDs but not with the use of ASA, PPIs, SSRIs, and statins.