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Oral Microbes Tied to Pancreatic Cancer Risk
Could oral microbiome profiling help spot people at risk for pancreatic cancer?
It may be possible, according to a recent analysis published in JAMA Oncology.
Researchers found that , which could be a step toward earlier detection of the deadly malignancy.
“We identified 27 individual bacterial and fungal species significantly associated with pancreatic cancer development,” said Jiyoung Ahn, PhD, of NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.
“If validated, oral microbiome profiling could serve as a noninvasive biomarker to identify individuals at elevated risk who might benefit from enhanced surveillance,” Ahn told GI & Hepatology News by email.
Rates of pancreatic cancer are on the rise. But detecting the disease before it becomes unresectable has remained an elusive goal, and the US Preventive Services Task Force discourages screening of asymptomatic adults.
For their study, Ahn and her colleagues analyzed data from 122,000 participants who provided oral wash samples as part of two cohort studies conducted in the US. The researchers used whole-genome shotgun sequencing and internal transcribed spacer sequencing to identity the bacterial and fungal species in the samples, respectively.
Over a median follow-up of nearly 9 years, 445 people developed pancreatic cancer and were matched with 445 who did not. Three oral bacterial periodontal pathogens — Porphyromonas gingivalis (odds ratio [OR], 1.27), Eubacterium nodatum (OR, 1.42), and Parvimonas micra (OR, 1.36) — as well as the fungal genus Candida were all linked to significantly increased odds of developing pancreatic cancer.
In a bacteriome-wide scan, the researchers pinpointed another 20 oral bacteria associated with pancreatic cancer — eight with a decreased risk and 13 with an increased risk for the disease.
The researchers also calculated a microbial risk score, which was the weighted sum of the relative abundance of bacterial and fungal species. In a meta-analysis of data from the two cohorts, the microbial risk score derived from 23 bacterial species and four fungal species, including various Candida species, was associated with pancreatic cancer (multivariate OR per 1-SD increase in the score, 3.44; 95% CI, 2.63-4.51).
“The oral microbiota holds promise as a biomarker to identify individuals at high risk of pancreatic cancer, potentially enabling personalized pancreatic cancer prevention,” Ahn and her colleagues concluded.
But Gil Welch, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who has written about screening for decades, isn’t so sure.
Given the “impressive volume of information” included in the analysis, “it is not surprising that the investigators are able to create a microbial risk score (based on 27 species of bacteria and fungi) that is highly related to pancreatic cancer,” Welch said. “The authors are careful to emphasize these are associations, not causal relationships.”
But even if the relationship were causal, finding more people with the malignancy can also have downsides, said Welch.
In a study out last year, Welch and colleagues found that while the incidence of pancreatic cancer among young Americans has been rising, mortality rates in this demographic haven’t budged, suggesting a potential for overdiagnosis.
“Screening for pancreatic cancer has never been shown to reduce pancreatic cancer mortality,” Welch told GI & Hepatology News. “Why screen large swaths of the population simply to enumerate ‘risk factors’ for an unproven benefit that, at best, could help only a few? Meanwhile, the burdens for everyone else are real: the mental and financial strains of ‘high risk’ labels, false alarms, and endless follow-ups. It’s a recipe to make us all worried sick — and poorer.”
Ahn reported having no disclosures. Welch reported receiving royalties from three books including “Should I be tested for cancer?”
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Could oral microbiome profiling help spot people at risk for pancreatic cancer?
It may be possible, according to a recent analysis published in JAMA Oncology.
Researchers found that , which could be a step toward earlier detection of the deadly malignancy.
“We identified 27 individual bacterial and fungal species significantly associated with pancreatic cancer development,” said Jiyoung Ahn, PhD, of NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.
“If validated, oral microbiome profiling could serve as a noninvasive biomarker to identify individuals at elevated risk who might benefit from enhanced surveillance,” Ahn told GI & Hepatology News by email.
Rates of pancreatic cancer are on the rise. But detecting the disease before it becomes unresectable has remained an elusive goal, and the US Preventive Services Task Force discourages screening of asymptomatic adults.
For their study, Ahn and her colleagues analyzed data from 122,000 participants who provided oral wash samples as part of two cohort studies conducted in the US. The researchers used whole-genome shotgun sequencing and internal transcribed spacer sequencing to identity the bacterial and fungal species in the samples, respectively.
Over a median follow-up of nearly 9 years, 445 people developed pancreatic cancer and were matched with 445 who did not. Three oral bacterial periodontal pathogens — Porphyromonas gingivalis (odds ratio [OR], 1.27), Eubacterium nodatum (OR, 1.42), and Parvimonas micra (OR, 1.36) — as well as the fungal genus Candida were all linked to significantly increased odds of developing pancreatic cancer.
In a bacteriome-wide scan, the researchers pinpointed another 20 oral bacteria associated with pancreatic cancer — eight with a decreased risk and 13 with an increased risk for the disease.
The researchers also calculated a microbial risk score, which was the weighted sum of the relative abundance of bacterial and fungal species. In a meta-analysis of data from the two cohorts, the microbial risk score derived from 23 bacterial species and four fungal species, including various Candida species, was associated with pancreatic cancer (multivariate OR per 1-SD increase in the score, 3.44; 95% CI, 2.63-4.51).
“The oral microbiota holds promise as a biomarker to identify individuals at high risk of pancreatic cancer, potentially enabling personalized pancreatic cancer prevention,” Ahn and her colleagues concluded.
But Gil Welch, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who has written about screening for decades, isn’t so sure.
Given the “impressive volume of information” included in the analysis, “it is not surprising that the investigators are able to create a microbial risk score (based on 27 species of bacteria and fungi) that is highly related to pancreatic cancer,” Welch said. “The authors are careful to emphasize these are associations, not causal relationships.”
But even if the relationship were causal, finding more people with the malignancy can also have downsides, said Welch.
In a study out last year, Welch and colleagues found that while the incidence of pancreatic cancer among young Americans has been rising, mortality rates in this demographic haven’t budged, suggesting a potential for overdiagnosis.
“Screening for pancreatic cancer has never been shown to reduce pancreatic cancer mortality,” Welch told GI & Hepatology News. “Why screen large swaths of the population simply to enumerate ‘risk factors’ for an unproven benefit that, at best, could help only a few? Meanwhile, the burdens for everyone else are real: the mental and financial strains of ‘high risk’ labels, false alarms, and endless follow-ups. It’s a recipe to make us all worried sick — and poorer.”
Ahn reported having no disclosures. Welch reported receiving royalties from three books including “Should I be tested for cancer?”
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Could oral microbiome profiling help spot people at risk for pancreatic cancer?
It may be possible, according to a recent analysis published in JAMA Oncology.
Researchers found that , which could be a step toward earlier detection of the deadly malignancy.
“We identified 27 individual bacterial and fungal species significantly associated with pancreatic cancer development,” said Jiyoung Ahn, PhD, of NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.
“If validated, oral microbiome profiling could serve as a noninvasive biomarker to identify individuals at elevated risk who might benefit from enhanced surveillance,” Ahn told GI & Hepatology News by email.
Rates of pancreatic cancer are on the rise. But detecting the disease before it becomes unresectable has remained an elusive goal, and the US Preventive Services Task Force discourages screening of asymptomatic adults.
For their study, Ahn and her colleagues analyzed data from 122,000 participants who provided oral wash samples as part of two cohort studies conducted in the US. The researchers used whole-genome shotgun sequencing and internal transcribed spacer sequencing to identity the bacterial and fungal species in the samples, respectively.
Over a median follow-up of nearly 9 years, 445 people developed pancreatic cancer and were matched with 445 who did not. Three oral bacterial periodontal pathogens — Porphyromonas gingivalis (odds ratio [OR], 1.27), Eubacterium nodatum (OR, 1.42), and Parvimonas micra (OR, 1.36) — as well as the fungal genus Candida were all linked to significantly increased odds of developing pancreatic cancer.
In a bacteriome-wide scan, the researchers pinpointed another 20 oral bacteria associated with pancreatic cancer — eight with a decreased risk and 13 with an increased risk for the disease.
The researchers also calculated a microbial risk score, which was the weighted sum of the relative abundance of bacterial and fungal species. In a meta-analysis of data from the two cohorts, the microbial risk score derived from 23 bacterial species and four fungal species, including various Candida species, was associated with pancreatic cancer (multivariate OR per 1-SD increase in the score, 3.44; 95% CI, 2.63-4.51).
“The oral microbiota holds promise as a biomarker to identify individuals at high risk of pancreatic cancer, potentially enabling personalized pancreatic cancer prevention,” Ahn and her colleagues concluded.
But Gil Welch, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who has written about screening for decades, isn’t so sure.
Given the “impressive volume of information” included in the analysis, “it is not surprising that the investigators are able to create a microbial risk score (based on 27 species of bacteria and fungi) that is highly related to pancreatic cancer,” Welch said. “The authors are careful to emphasize these are associations, not causal relationships.”
But even if the relationship were causal, finding more people with the malignancy can also have downsides, said Welch.
In a study out last year, Welch and colleagues found that while the incidence of pancreatic cancer among young Americans has been rising, mortality rates in this demographic haven’t budged, suggesting a potential for overdiagnosis.
“Screening for pancreatic cancer has never been shown to reduce pancreatic cancer mortality,” Welch told GI & Hepatology News. “Why screen large swaths of the population simply to enumerate ‘risk factors’ for an unproven benefit that, at best, could help only a few? Meanwhile, the burdens for everyone else are real: the mental and financial strains of ‘high risk’ labels, false alarms, and endless follow-ups. It’s a recipe to make us all worried sick — and poorer.”
Ahn reported having no disclosures. Welch reported receiving royalties from three books including “Should I be tested for cancer?”
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
How Chronic Stress Disrupts the Gut Microbiome
Chronic psychological stress is common. A 2023 survey revealed that about one quarter of US adults reported high stress levels, and three quarters reported that chronic stress affects their daily lives.
Emerging evidence suggests that chronic stress not only exacts a high toll on mental health but also can wreak havoc on all levels of gastrointestinal (GI) functioning, all the way down to the microbiome.
Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH, AGAF, gastroenterologist with NYU Langone Health and director of GI Outcomes Research, Gastroenterology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, said in an interview with GI & Hepatology News.
“This basically means that the normal balance of microorganisms that essentially we think are beneficial gets reduced, and the colonies considered to be more harmful proliferate,” she explained.
What Does the Science Tell Us?
Numerous studies published in the past 5 years have linked chronic stress to modest but reproducible shifts in the composition of the microbiome.
A study of frontline healthcare workers during COVID-19 revealed that the pandemic was associated with significant depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as gut dysbiosis that persisted for at least half a year.
Notably, healthcare workers had low gut alpha diversity, indicating a less resilient and diverse microbiome, a state often associated with dysbiosis and increased risk for various diseases and negative health outcomes.
A two-cohort study of healthy adults found higher alpha diversity in those reporting low stress levels. It also found a link between stress and enriched levels of Escherichia/Shigella, an overgrowth of which has been linked to various conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease.
In addition, a 2023 systematic review of human studies concluded that stress is associated with changes in specific genera — namely reductions in gut-healthy Lachnospira/Lachnospiraceae and Phascolarctobacterium, which produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids that support the health of the intestinal lining and modulate the immune system.
Stress during specific life stages also appears to alter the gut microbiome.
For example, in a study of postpartum women, those at an increased risk for parenting stress showed lower alpha diversity on the Shannon diversity index.
Research involving mother-child pairs tied adversity — such as maltreatment of the mother during her childhood, prenatal anxiety, and hardship in the child’s early life — to distinct microbiome profiles in 2-year-olds, supporting a stress-microbiome pathway relevant to socioemotional outcomes, the authors said.
Emerging evidence indicates a link between the gut microbiome and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A recent systematic review found differences in gut microbial taxa between individuals with PTSD and trauma-exposed controls without PTSD. A separate analysis pointed to a potential causal impact of gut microbiomes on the development of PTSD.
Mechanisms Behind the Link
Stress interferes with the brain’s production of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which controls anxiety, mood, sleep, and many other functions in the brain, Shaukat told GI & Hepatology News.
“But serotonin also crosses the blood-brain barrier, and actually, the gut has more serotonin receptors than the brain, so an imbalance of serotonin can actually affect the gut microbiome through signaling at the neurotransmitter level,” Shaukat explained.
Stress can also affect sleep, and sleep itself has regulatory properties for gut bacteria, Shaukat noted.
“Stress also lowers our immunity, and this can make the gut barrier susceptible or permeable to bacterial toxins that can pass through and breach the gut barrier and be released into the bloodstream, which can trigger inflammation,” Shaukat explained.
Implications for Patient Care
The gut-brain-microbiome axis remains an emerging field of study. “We’re learning more and more about this, and we need to because the microbial colonies are so diverse and we haven’t nailed it down yet,” Shaukat said.
In the meantime, what can clinicians tell patients?
Aside from managing stress, which “is easier said than done,” patients can improve their diet, Shaukat said.
“What we tell patients is to essentially increase their intake of gut-friendly foods that preferentially grow the bacterial colonies that are beneficial for us,” Shaukat said. This includes fermented foods, yogurt, kimchi, chia seeds, kombucha, pickled vegetables, and whole grains.
A recent randomized controlled trial of healthy adults found a “psychobiotic diet” — a diet high in prebiotic and fermented foods — was associated with less perceived stress and subtle beneficial shifts in microbial composition.
“These foods can help keep the gut in good health and may actually also reduce or mitigate some of the effects of stress,” Shaukat said.
“Eating well is something I think we should all think about and maybe prioritize when we’re going through a stressful situation or looking to kind of mitigate the effects of stress and the anxiety and depression it can cause,” she advised.
Shaukat said she also encourages patients to engage in regular physical activity, which benefits the gut microbiome by helping to regulate gut motility. Exercise can also boost mood and help relieve stress.
“A balanced Mediterranean diet and regular activity is truly the secret for gut health,” Shaukat said.
Patients may be tempted by the probiotic supplements lining drugstore shelves, but there “isn’t great evidence for probiotic supplements,” she said. “What we can get from dietary sources far outweighs what can be put in a pill.”
Shaukat disclosed having no relevant disclosures.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Chronic psychological stress is common. A 2023 survey revealed that about one quarter of US adults reported high stress levels, and three quarters reported that chronic stress affects their daily lives.
Emerging evidence suggests that chronic stress not only exacts a high toll on mental health but also can wreak havoc on all levels of gastrointestinal (GI) functioning, all the way down to the microbiome.
Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH, AGAF, gastroenterologist with NYU Langone Health and director of GI Outcomes Research, Gastroenterology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, said in an interview with GI & Hepatology News.
“This basically means that the normal balance of microorganisms that essentially we think are beneficial gets reduced, and the colonies considered to be more harmful proliferate,” she explained.
What Does the Science Tell Us?
Numerous studies published in the past 5 years have linked chronic stress to modest but reproducible shifts in the composition of the microbiome.
A study of frontline healthcare workers during COVID-19 revealed that the pandemic was associated with significant depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as gut dysbiosis that persisted for at least half a year.
Notably, healthcare workers had low gut alpha diversity, indicating a less resilient and diverse microbiome, a state often associated with dysbiosis and increased risk for various diseases and negative health outcomes.
A two-cohort study of healthy adults found higher alpha diversity in those reporting low stress levels. It also found a link between stress and enriched levels of Escherichia/Shigella, an overgrowth of which has been linked to various conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease.
In addition, a 2023 systematic review of human studies concluded that stress is associated with changes in specific genera — namely reductions in gut-healthy Lachnospira/Lachnospiraceae and Phascolarctobacterium, which produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids that support the health of the intestinal lining and modulate the immune system.
Stress during specific life stages also appears to alter the gut microbiome.
For example, in a study of postpartum women, those at an increased risk for parenting stress showed lower alpha diversity on the Shannon diversity index.
Research involving mother-child pairs tied adversity — such as maltreatment of the mother during her childhood, prenatal anxiety, and hardship in the child’s early life — to distinct microbiome profiles in 2-year-olds, supporting a stress-microbiome pathway relevant to socioemotional outcomes, the authors said.
Emerging evidence indicates a link between the gut microbiome and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A recent systematic review found differences in gut microbial taxa between individuals with PTSD and trauma-exposed controls without PTSD. A separate analysis pointed to a potential causal impact of gut microbiomes on the development of PTSD.
Mechanisms Behind the Link
Stress interferes with the brain’s production of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which controls anxiety, mood, sleep, and many other functions in the brain, Shaukat told GI & Hepatology News.
“But serotonin also crosses the blood-brain barrier, and actually, the gut has more serotonin receptors than the brain, so an imbalance of serotonin can actually affect the gut microbiome through signaling at the neurotransmitter level,” Shaukat explained.
Stress can also affect sleep, and sleep itself has regulatory properties for gut bacteria, Shaukat noted.
“Stress also lowers our immunity, and this can make the gut barrier susceptible or permeable to bacterial toxins that can pass through and breach the gut barrier and be released into the bloodstream, which can trigger inflammation,” Shaukat explained.
Implications for Patient Care
The gut-brain-microbiome axis remains an emerging field of study. “We’re learning more and more about this, and we need to because the microbial colonies are so diverse and we haven’t nailed it down yet,” Shaukat said.
In the meantime, what can clinicians tell patients?
Aside from managing stress, which “is easier said than done,” patients can improve their diet, Shaukat said.
“What we tell patients is to essentially increase their intake of gut-friendly foods that preferentially grow the bacterial colonies that are beneficial for us,” Shaukat said. This includes fermented foods, yogurt, kimchi, chia seeds, kombucha, pickled vegetables, and whole grains.
A recent randomized controlled trial of healthy adults found a “psychobiotic diet” — a diet high in prebiotic and fermented foods — was associated with less perceived stress and subtle beneficial shifts in microbial composition.
“These foods can help keep the gut in good health and may actually also reduce or mitigate some of the effects of stress,” Shaukat said.
“Eating well is something I think we should all think about and maybe prioritize when we’re going through a stressful situation or looking to kind of mitigate the effects of stress and the anxiety and depression it can cause,” she advised.
Shaukat said she also encourages patients to engage in regular physical activity, which benefits the gut microbiome by helping to regulate gut motility. Exercise can also boost mood and help relieve stress.
“A balanced Mediterranean diet and regular activity is truly the secret for gut health,” Shaukat said.
Patients may be tempted by the probiotic supplements lining drugstore shelves, but there “isn’t great evidence for probiotic supplements,” she said. “What we can get from dietary sources far outweighs what can be put in a pill.”
Shaukat disclosed having no relevant disclosures.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Chronic psychological stress is common. A 2023 survey revealed that about one quarter of US adults reported high stress levels, and three quarters reported that chronic stress affects their daily lives.
Emerging evidence suggests that chronic stress not only exacts a high toll on mental health but also can wreak havoc on all levels of gastrointestinal (GI) functioning, all the way down to the microbiome.
Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH, AGAF, gastroenterologist with NYU Langone Health and director of GI Outcomes Research, Gastroenterology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, said in an interview with GI & Hepatology News.
“This basically means that the normal balance of microorganisms that essentially we think are beneficial gets reduced, and the colonies considered to be more harmful proliferate,” she explained.
What Does the Science Tell Us?
Numerous studies published in the past 5 years have linked chronic stress to modest but reproducible shifts in the composition of the microbiome.
A study of frontline healthcare workers during COVID-19 revealed that the pandemic was associated with significant depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as gut dysbiosis that persisted for at least half a year.
Notably, healthcare workers had low gut alpha diversity, indicating a less resilient and diverse microbiome, a state often associated with dysbiosis and increased risk for various diseases and negative health outcomes.
A two-cohort study of healthy adults found higher alpha diversity in those reporting low stress levels. It also found a link between stress and enriched levels of Escherichia/Shigella, an overgrowth of which has been linked to various conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease.
In addition, a 2023 systematic review of human studies concluded that stress is associated with changes in specific genera — namely reductions in gut-healthy Lachnospira/Lachnospiraceae and Phascolarctobacterium, which produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids that support the health of the intestinal lining and modulate the immune system.
Stress during specific life stages also appears to alter the gut microbiome.
For example, in a study of postpartum women, those at an increased risk for parenting stress showed lower alpha diversity on the Shannon diversity index.
Research involving mother-child pairs tied adversity — such as maltreatment of the mother during her childhood, prenatal anxiety, and hardship in the child’s early life — to distinct microbiome profiles in 2-year-olds, supporting a stress-microbiome pathway relevant to socioemotional outcomes, the authors said.
Emerging evidence indicates a link between the gut microbiome and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A recent systematic review found differences in gut microbial taxa between individuals with PTSD and trauma-exposed controls without PTSD. A separate analysis pointed to a potential causal impact of gut microbiomes on the development of PTSD.
Mechanisms Behind the Link
Stress interferes with the brain’s production of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which controls anxiety, mood, sleep, and many other functions in the brain, Shaukat told GI & Hepatology News.
“But serotonin also crosses the blood-brain barrier, and actually, the gut has more serotonin receptors than the brain, so an imbalance of serotonin can actually affect the gut microbiome through signaling at the neurotransmitter level,” Shaukat explained.
Stress can also affect sleep, and sleep itself has regulatory properties for gut bacteria, Shaukat noted.
“Stress also lowers our immunity, and this can make the gut barrier susceptible or permeable to bacterial toxins that can pass through and breach the gut barrier and be released into the bloodstream, which can trigger inflammation,” Shaukat explained.
Implications for Patient Care
The gut-brain-microbiome axis remains an emerging field of study. “We’re learning more and more about this, and we need to because the microbial colonies are so diverse and we haven’t nailed it down yet,” Shaukat said.
In the meantime, what can clinicians tell patients?
Aside from managing stress, which “is easier said than done,” patients can improve their diet, Shaukat said.
“What we tell patients is to essentially increase their intake of gut-friendly foods that preferentially grow the bacterial colonies that are beneficial for us,” Shaukat said. This includes fermented foods, yogurt, kimchi, chia seeds, kombucha, pickled vegetables, and whole grains.
A recent randomized controlled trial of healthy adults found a “psychobiotic diet” — a diet high in prebiotic and fermented foods — was associated with less perceived stress and subtle beneficial shifts in microbial composition.
“These foods can help keep the gut in good health and may actually also reduce or mitigate some of the effects of stress,” Shaukat said.
“Eating well is something I think we should all think about and maybe prioritize when we’re going through a stressful situation or looking to kind of mitigate the effects of stress and the anxiety and depression it can cause,” she advised.
Shaukat said she also encourages patients to engage in regular physical activity, which benefits the gut microbiome by helping to regulate gut motility. Exercise can also boost mood and help relieve stress.
“A balanced Mediterranean diet and regular activity is truly the secret for gut health,” Shaukat said.
Patients may be tempted by the probiotic supplements lining drugstore shelves, but there “isn’t great evidence for probiotic supplements,” she said. “What we can get from dietary sources far outweighs what can be put in a pill.”
Shaukat disclosed having no relevant disclosures.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
PET and CPT Show Promise in Veteran PTSD Treatment
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) guidelines increasingly are recommending prolonged exposure therapy (PET) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) as first-line treatments, including the 2023 US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and US Department of Defense clinical practice guideline.
Since 2006, > 6000 VA therapists have been trained in PET and CPT; the VA requires all veterans to have access to these treatments. However, despite strong clinical trial evidence supporting PET and CPT for the treatment of PTSD, a 2023 study found that only 11.6% of veterans who received a PTSD diagnosis between 2017 and 2019 initiated Trauma-Focused Evidence-Based Psychotherapy (TF-EBP) in their first year of treatment. Of those who initiated TF-EBP, 67% dropped out. Recent VA programs have attempted to expand the reach of PET with video telehealth to reach rural and remote veterans through virtual group programs.
Recent research has suggested ways to maximize the effectiveness of the programs and assist veterans in receiving the full benefits. Studies have found that swapping traditional longer-term treatments (usually spanning 8 to 15 weeks) for intensified, shorter versions (eg, 6 sessions) may enhance engagement and retention.
Intensive PET for PTSD is safe and highly effective. A study involving patients with chronic PTSD and complex trauma showed significant reductions in PTSD symptom severity, with large effect sizes and sustained improvements at 3 and 6 months. Multiple 90-minute sessions over consecutive days, supplemented with in vivo exposure or followed by weekly booster sessions, were found to minimize treatment disruptions.
PET is among the most extensively studied treatments for PTSD and is supported by dozens of clinical trials involving thousands of patients. The intervention was originally developed and validated in civilian samples and includes psychoeducation, relaxation through breathing retraining, and in vivo and imaginal exposure to traumatic memories.
A recent study compared treatment outcomes among military veterans and civilian patients receiving treatment in a community setting. Although some studies have compared PET outcomes for military veterans and civilian participants in community settings, none have directly compared outcomes across trauma type (combat, terror, or civilian trauma) and veteran status (military vs civilian) within the same framework. The study notes that combat-related trauma significantly differs from other forms of trauma exposure, as it is typically more prolonged and severe and therefore is more often resistant to treatment. Military personnel also often find themselves both victims and aggressors, a duality that can intensify guilt, shame, anger, disgust, and emotional reactions to moral injury, complicating treatment.
The study assessed the effects of 8 to 15 PET sessions on PTSD symptoms in 55 civilians and 43 veterans using the PTSD Symptom Scale–Interview Version (PSS-I). Participants showed significant symptom reductions across all trauma types and veteran statuses.
Although veterans and participants in the combat trauma subgroup showed higher levels of baseline symptom severity compared with civilians, all groups experienced similar symptom reductions. These findings differ from some meta-analyses, which have found that PET often produces smaller effect sizes in combat-related PTSD compared to civilian trauma samples.
The study compared treatment outcomes across different groups within the same treatment centers and under consistent supervision. The PET intervention was delivered in community mental health centers to all patients regardless of background. Only 2 prior studies have compared civilian and military veterans within the same locations.
Although the “traditional” number of PET sessions produce evidence-based outcomes, high dropout rates and relapses have catalyzed interest in approaches that boost the power of therapy, such as delivering PET in ever-shorter sequences.
A study in a Swedish psychiatric outpatient clinic compared the effect of an 8-day intensified treatment program with traditionally spaced treatments on 101 participants with PTSD or complex PTSD. The study reported a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms at posttreatment, with large effect sizes in both conditions. Moreover, symptom reduction was maintained at follow-up. Dropout rates were significantly different between treatment groups: 4.3% in the intensified treatment program and 24.1% in the traditional group.
Another study used VA administrative data to assess the impact of sequenced psychotherapy (≥ 8 sessions of not trauma-focused individual or group psychotherapy delivered before trauma-focused care) on initiation and retention in CPT and PET over 2 years. Roughly 13% of 490,097 veterans who entered care for PTSD between 2014 and 2020 initiated VA-disseminated evidence-based treatment within 21 months (9.5% CPT, 3.4% PE). Among those who initiated treatment, retention was 46% and 42%, respectively. Individual therapy was associated with increased CPT and PET retention of 8.0% and 8.2%. For group therapy, retention increases were 3.4% and 8.7%.
Another recent study examined the RESET (Reconsolidation, Exposure, and Short-term Emotional Transformation) clinical protocol, an intensive, structured trauma-focused intervention designed to treat PTSD within 6 daily sessions. The protocol includes psychoeducation, targeted exposure, dynamic case formulation, and guided trauma processing. This novel framework ensures therapy moves beyond symptom reduction, fostering a deep understanding of the patient’s core struggles and their broader psychological patterns, and integrates it with the reconsolidation of the index trauma narrative to form a more cohesive sense of self.”
Clinical studies are ongoing to refine and enhance PET and CPT. They may serve to make therapy more useful and effective in easing—maybe erasing—veterans’ traumatic memories.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) guidelines increasingly are recommending prolonged exposure therapy (PET) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) as first-line treatments, including the 2023 US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and US Department of Defense clinical practice guideline.
Since 2006, > 6000 VA therapists have been trained in PET and CPT; the VA requires all veterans to have access to these treatments. However, despite strong clinical trial evidence supporting PET and CPT for the treatment of PTSD, a 2023 study found that only 11.6% of veterans who received a PTSD diagnosis between 2017 and 2019 initiated Trauma-Focused Evidence-Based Psychotherapy (TF-EBP) in their first year of treatment. Of those who initiated TF-EBP, 67% dropped out. Recent VA programs have attempted to expand the reach of PET with video telehealth to reach rural and remote veterans through virtual group programs.
Recent research has suggested ways to maximize the effectiveness of the programs and assist veterans in receiving the full benefits. Studies have found that swapping traditional longer-term treatments (usually spanning 8 to 15 weeks) for intensified, shorter versions (eg, 6 sessions) may enhance engagement and retention.
Intensive PET for PTSD is safe and highly effective. A study involving patients with chronic PTSD and complex trauma showed significant reductions in PTSD symptom severity, with large effect sizes and sustained improvements at 3 and 6 months. Multiple 90-minute sessions over consecutive days, supplemented with in vivo exposure or followed by weekly booster sessions, were found to minimize treatment disruptions.
PET is among the most extensively studied treatments for PTSD and is supported by dozens of clinical trials involving thousands of patients. The intervention was originally developed and validated in civilian samples and includes psychoeducation, relaxation through breathing retraining, and in vivo and imaginal exposure to traumatic memories.
A recent study compared treatment outcomes among military veterans and civilian patients receiving treatment in a community setting. Although some studies have compared PET outcomes for military veterans and civilian participants in community settings, none have directly compared outcomes across trauma type (combat, terror, or civilian trauma) and veteran status (military vs civilian) within the same framework. The study notes that combat-related trauma significantly differs from other forms of trauma exposure, as it is typically more prolonged and severe and therefore is more often resistant to treatment. Military personnel also often find themselves both victims and aggressors, a duality that can intensify guilt, shame, anger, disgust, and emotional reactions to moral injury, complicating treatment.
The study assessed the effects of 8 to 15 PET sessions on PTSD symptoms in 55 civilians and 43 veterans using the PTSD Symptom Scale–Interview Version (PSS-I). Participants showed significant symptom reductions across all trauma types and veteran statuses.
Although veterans and participants in the combat trauma subgroup showed higher levels of baseline symptom severity compared with civilians, all groups experienced similar symptom reductions. These findings differ from some meta-analyses, which have found that PET often produces smaller effect sizes in combat-related PTSD compared to civilian trauma samples.
The study compared treatment outcomes across different groups within the same treatment centers and under consistent supervision. The PET intervention was delivered in community mental health centers to all patients regardless of background. Only 2 prior studies have compared civilian and military veterans within the same locations.
Although the “traditional” number of PET sessions produce evidence-based outcomes, high dropout rates and relapses have catalyzed interest in approaches that boost the power of therapy, such as delivering PET in ever-shorter sequences.
A study in a Swedish psychiatric outpatient clinic compared the effect of an 8-day intensified treatment program with traditionally spaced treatments on 101 participants with PTSD or complex PTSD. The study reported a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms at posttreatment, with large effect sizes in both conditions. Moreover, symptom reduction was maintained at follow-up. Dropout rates were significantly different between treatment groups: 4.3% in the intensified treatment program and 24.1% in the traditional group.
Another study used VA administrative data to assess the impact of sequenced psychotherapy (≥ 8 sessions of not trauma-focused individual or group psychotherapy delivered before trauma-focused care) on initiation and retention in CPT and PET over 2 years. Roughly 13% of 490,097 veterans who entered care for PTSD between 2014 and 2020 initiated VA-disseminated evidence-based treatment within 21 months (9.5% CPT, 3.4% PE). Among those who initiated treatment, retention was 46% and 42%, respectively. Individual therapy was associated with increased CPT and PET retention of 8.0% and 8.2%. For group therapy, retention increases were 3.4% and 8.7%.
Another recent study examined the RESET (Reconsolidation, Exposure, and Short-term Emotional Transformation) clinical protocol, an intensive, structured trauma-focused intervention designed to treat PTSD within 6 daily sessions. The protocol includes psychoeducation, targeted exposure, dynamic case formulation, and guided trauma processing. This novel framework ensures therapy moves beyond symptom reduction, fostering a deep understanding of the patient’s core struggles and their broader psychological patterns, and integrates it with the reconsolidation of the index trauma narrative to form a more cohesive sense of self.”
Clinical studies are ongoing to refine and enhance PET and CPT. They may serve to make therapy more useful and effective in easing—maybe erasing—veterans’ traumatic memories.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) guidelines increasingly are recommending prolonged exposure therapy (PET) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) as first-line treatments, including the 2023 US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and US Department of Defense clinical practice guideline.
Since 2006, > 6000 VA therapists have been trained in PET and CPT; the VA requires all veterans to have access to these treatments. However, despite strong clinical trial evidence supporting PET and CPT for the treatment of PTSD, a 2023 study found that only 11.6% of veterans who received a PTSD diagnosis between 2017 and 2019 initiated Trauma-Focused Evidence-Based Psychotherapy (TF-EBP) in their first year of treatment. Of those who initiated TF-EBP, 67% dropped out. Recent VA programs have attempted to expand the reach of PET with video telehealth to reach rural and remote veterans through virtual group programs.
Recent research has suggested ways to maximize the effectiveness of the programs and assist veterans in receiving the full benefits. Studies have found that swapping traditional longer-term treatments (usually spanning 8 to 15 weeks) for intensified, shorter versions (eg, 6 sessions) may enhance engagement and retention.
Intensive PET for PTSD is safe and highly effective. A study involving patients with chronic PTSD and complex trauma showed significant reductions in PTSD symptom severity, with large effect sizes and sustained improvements at 3 and 6 months. Multiple 90-minute sessions over consecutive days, supplemented with in vivo exposure or followed by weekly booster sessions, were found to minimize treatment disruptions.
PET is among the most extensively studied treatments for PTSD and is supported by dozens of clinical trials involving thousands of patients. The intervention was originally developed and validated in civilian samples and includes psychoeducation, relaxation through breathing retraining, and in vivo and imaginal exposure to traumatic memories.
A recent study compared treatment outcomes among military veterans and civilian patients receiving treatment in a community setting. Although some studies have compared PET outcomes for military veterans and civilian participants in community settings, none have directly compared outcomes across trauma type (combat, terror, or civilian trauma) and veteran status (military vs civilian) within the same framework. The study notes that combat-related trauma significantly differs from other forms of trauma exposure, as it is typically more prolonged and severe and therefore is more often resistant to treatment. Military personnel also often find themselves both victims and aggressors, a duality that can intensify guilt, shame, anger, disgust, and emotional reactions to moral injury, complicating treatment.
The study assessed the effects of 8 to 15 PET sessions on PTSD symptoms in 55 civilians and 43 veterans using the PTSD Symptom Scale–Interview Version (PSS-I). Participants showed significant symptom reductions across all trauma types and veteran statuses.
Although veterans and participants in the combat trauma subgroup showed higher levels of baseline symptom severity compared with civilians, all groups experienced similar symptom reductions. These findings differ from some meta-analyses, which have found that PET often produces smaller effect sizes in combat-related PTSD compared to civilian trauma samples.
The study compared treatment outcomes across different groups within the same treatment centers and under consistent supervision. The PET intervention was delivered in community mental health centers to all patients regardless of background. Only 2 prior studies have compared civilian and military veterans within the same locations.
Although the “traditional” number of PET sessions produce evidence-based outcomes, high dropout rates and relapses have catalyzed interest in approaches that boost the power of therapy, such as delivering PET in ever-shorter sequences.
A study in a Swedish psychiatric outpatient clinic compared the effect of an 8-day intensified treatment program with traditionally spaced treatments on 101 participants with PTSD or complex PTSD. The study reported a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms at posttreatment, with large effect sizes in both conditions. Moreover, symptom reduction was maintained at follow-up. Dropout rates were significantly different between treatment groups: 4.3% in the intensified treatment program and 24.1% in the traditional group.
Another study used VA administrative data to assess the impact of sequenced psychotherapy (≥ 8 sessions of not trauma-focused individual or group psychotherapy delivered before trauma-focused care) on initiation and retention in CPT and PET over 2 years. Roughly 13% of 490,097 veterans who entered care for PTSD between 2014 and 2020 initiated VA-disseminated evidence-based treatment within 21 months (9.5% CPT, 3.4% PE). Among those who initiated treatment, retention was 46% and 42%, respectively. Individual therapy was associated with increased CPT and PET retention of 8.0% and 8.2%. For group therapy, retention increases were 3.4% and 8.7%.
Another recent study examined the RESET (Reconsolidation, Exposure, and Short-term Emotional Transformation) clinical protocol, an intensive, structured trauma-focused intervention designed to treat PTSD within 6 daily sessions. The protocol includes psychoeducation, targeted exposure, dynamic case formulation, and guided trauma processing. This novel framework ensures therapy moves beyond symptom reduction, fostering a deep understanding of the patient’s core struggles and their broader psychological patterns, and integrates it with the reconsolidation of the index trauma narrative to form a more cohesive sense of self.”
Clinical studies are ongoing to refine and enhance PET and CPT. They may serve to make therapy more useful and effective in easing—maybe erasing—veterans’ traumatic memories.
Moral Injury-informed Interventions May Enhance Treatment for Combat Veterans
“Moral and mortal stressors may be intertwined in their contribution to the complex symptomatic outcomes” of combat exposure according to a recent study in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. The study examined the effect moral injury has on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat veterans. The resulting trauma may be consolidated in a single category, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but stressors leading to that diagnosis may have been quite different. Properly defining the stressors to assist in better targeted treatment is a challenge.
Moral injury is the emotional distress of being involved in or witnessing actions that conflict with deeply held beliefs. Such experiences could be committing or failing to prevent a transgressive act or learning about or surviving a transgressive act.
The study defines moral injury outcomes as the psychological and emotional consequences that result from exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs): “This terminology is intended to distinguish the outcomes of moral injury from the broader and sometimes ambiguous use of ‘moral injury’ in the literature, which can refer to either the event, the experience, or the resulting symptoms.”
The study followed 374 male combat veterans for 5 years. Veterans served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 4 primary combat roles: infantry, armored corps, special forces, and combat engineering. Psychological characteristics were measured 12 months prior to enlistment. PMIE exposure was measured during the final month of military service using the Moral Injury Events Scale. Moral injury outcomes were assessed 6 months postdischarge using the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale-Military Version-Short Form. Posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) clusters were evaluated 1 year postdischarge using the PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.
Nearly half (49%) of participants reported exposure to PMIEs, while 8% met criteria for probable PTSD. The researchers say elevated PMIE rates observed in their sample may be attributed, in part, to participants’ extended deployments in densely populated urban areas, carrying out operations in close proximity to civilians, where it is difficult to distinguish between combatants and noncombatants. PTSD rates were somewhat lower than those reported in US studies (10% to 30%) among veterans; this may be attributed to the cohort not being engaged in a full-scale war, but deployed mostly in peacekeeping missions.
Longitudinal studies have described the effects of wartime atrocities on PTSD symptom severity. Studies have also linked moral injury outcomes and PTSS clusters (including negative alterations in cognition and mood [NACM]), depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. PMIEs can also include perceptions of betrayal from leaders, colleagues, or trusted others. The study of 374 male combat veterans found a direct effect of PMIE-betrayal on arousal and reactivity as well as NACM clusters. Results also showed indirect associations between exposure to all PMIE dimensions and PTSS clusters via moral injury outcomes. Combat exposure and experiencing PMIEs during military service significantly contributed to the emergence of PTSS during the first year after discharge. The study found 2 distinct paths PMIEs may lead to PTSS among veterans: experiencing acts of transgression and encountering betrayal.
Betrayal has been linked to feelings of anger and humiliation, emotions thought to have evolved to trigger adaptive behavioral responses, such as aggression and revenge, to threats or transgressions by others. PMIE-betrayal also demonstrated direct effects on the arousal and reactivity and NACM symptom clusters, suggesting partial mediation. Another study (also on IDF veterans) found significant positive correlations between PMIE-betrayal and the NACM cluster, suggesting PMIE-betrayal as a link between PTSD and moral injury. While the link between betrayal and NACM is readily apparent, its connection to arousal and reactivity, a fear-based physiological symptom, is less evident.
The findings of the study point to the need for assessment tools that separately measure exposure to PMIEs and individual reactions to them. A recent Federal Practitioner study of 100 veterans with a history of incarceration completed the Moral Injury Events Scale and an adapted version for legal-involved persons (MIES-LIP). The authors found that MIES-LIP demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including good reliability and convergent validity for legal-related moral injury.
The study cites a recent review of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies for individuals experiencing moral injury that challenges the adequacy of existing evidence-based treatments for PTSD for addressing moral injury and its associated symptoms. It is important to evaluate individuals who express feelings of betrayal with tailored, evidence-based interventions such as adaptive disclosure or cognitive-processing therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy may also help individuals experiencing emotions such as shame, humiliation, guilt, and anger following morally injurious events.
Newer therapy models like Multi-Modal Motion-Assisted Memory Desensitization and Reconsolidation allow clinicians to use personalized trauma cues to facilitate memory processing, reduce avoidance, and aid in emotional reconsolidation. Clinical research has demonstrated this model’s efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety, with high acceptability and low dropout rates among military personnel, veterans, and first responders.
Regardless of the treatment, the researchers encourage mental health professionals to approach veterans seeking help with the “utmost sensitivity and attentiveness to any expressions of (moral injury) outcomes.”
“Moral and mortal stressors may be intertwined in their contribution to the complex symptomatic outcomes” of combat exposure according to a recent study in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. The study examined the effect moral injury has on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat veterans. The resulting trauma may be consolidated in a single category, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but stressors leading to that diagnosis may have been quite different. Properly defining the stressors to assist in better targeted treatment is a challenge.
Moral injury is the emotional distress of being involved in or witnessing actions that conflict with deeply held beliefs. Such experiences could be committing or failing to prevent a transgressive act or learning about or surviving a transgressive act.
The study defines moral injury outcomes as the psychological and emotional consequences that result from exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs): “This terminology is intended to distinguish the outcomes of moral injury from the broader and sometimes ambiguous use of ‘moral injury’ in the literature, which can refer to either the event, the experience, or the resulting symptoms.”
The study followed 374 male combat veterans for 5 years. Veterans served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 4 primary combat roles: infantry, armored corps, special forces, and combat engineering. Psychological characteristics were measured 12 months prior to enlistment. PMIE exposure was measured during the final month of military service using the Moral Injury Events Scale. Moral injury outcomes were assessed 6 months postdischarge using the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale-Military Version-Short Form. Posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) clusters were evaluated 1 year postdischarge using the PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.
Nearly half (49%) of participants reported exposure to PMIEs, while 8% met criteria for probable PTSD. The researchers say elevated PMIE rates observed in their sample may be attributed, in part, to participants’ extended deployments in densely populated urban areas, carrying out operations in close proximity to civilians, where it is difficult to distinguish between combatants and noncombatants. PTSD rates were somewhat lower than those reported in US studies (10% to 30%) among veterans; this may be attributed to the cohort not being engaged in a full-scale war, but deployed mostly in peacekeeping missions.
Longitudinal studies have described the effects of wartime atrocities on PTSD symptom severity. Studies have also linked moral injury outcomes and PTSS clusters (including negative alterations in cognition and mood [NACM]), depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. PMIEs can also include perceptions of betrayal from leaders, colleagues, or trusted others. The study of 374 male combat veterans found a direct effect of PMIE-betrayal on arousal and reactivity as well as NACM clusters. Results also showed indirect associations between exposure to all PMIE dimensions and PTSS clusters via moral injury outcomes. Combat exposure and experiencing PMIEs during military service significantly contributed to the emergence of PTSS during the first year after discharge. The study found 2 distinct paths PMIEs may lead to PTSS among veterans: experiencing acts of transgression and encountering betrayal.
Betrayal has been linked to feelings of anger and humiliation, emotions thought to have evolved to trigger adaptive behavioral responses, such as aggression and revenge, to threats or transgressions by others. PMIE-betrayal also demonstrated direct effects on the arousal and reactivity and NACM symptom clusters, suggesting partial mediation. Another study (also on IDF veterans) found significant positive correlations between PMIE-betrayal and the NACM cluster, suggesting PMIE-betrayal as a link between PTSD and moral injury. While the link between betrayal and NACM is readily apparent, its connection to arousal and reactivity, a fear-based physiological symptom, is less evident.
The findings of the study point to the need for assessment tools that separately measure exposure to PMIEs and individual reactions to them. A recent Federal Practitioner study of 100 veterans with a history of incarceration completed the Moral Injury Events Scale and an adapted version for legal-involved persons (MIES-LIP). The authors found that MIES-LIP demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including good reliability and convergent validity for legal-related moral injury.
The study cites a recent review of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies for individuals experiencing moral injury that challenges the adequacy of existing evidence-based treatments for PTSD for addressing moral injury and its associated symptoms. It is important to evaluate individuals who express feelings of betrayal with tailored, evidence-based interventions such as adaptive disclosure or cognitive-processing therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy may also help individuals experiencing emotions such as shame, humiliation, guilt, and anger following morally injurious events.
Newer therapy models like Multi-Modal Motion-Assisted Memory Desensitization and Reconsolidation allow clinicians to use personalized trauma cues to facilitate memory processing, reduce avoidance, and aid in emotional reconsolidation. Clinical research has demonstrated this model’s efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety, with high acceptability and low dropout rates among military personnel, veterans, and first responders.
Regardless of the treatment, the researchers encourage mental health professionals to approach veterans seeking help with the “utmost sensitivity and attentiveness to any expressions of (moral injury) outcomes.”
“Moral and mortal stressors may be intertwined in their contribution to the complex symptomatic outcomes” of combat exposure according to a recent study in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. The study examined the effect moral injury has on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat veterans. The resulting trauma may be consolidated in a single category, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but stressors leading to that diagnosis may have been quite different. Properly defining the stressors to assist in better targeted treatment is a challenge.
Moral injury is the emotional distress of being involved in or witnessing actions that conflict with deeply held beliefs. Such experiences could be committing or failing to prevent a transgressive act or learning about or surviving a transgressive act.
The study defines moral injury outcomes as the psychological and emotional consequences that result from exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs): “This terminology is intended to distinguish the outcomes of moral injury from the broader and sometimes ambiguous use of ‘moral injury’ in the literature, which can refer to either the event, the experience, or the resulting symptoms.”
The study followed 374 male combat veterans for 5 years. Veterans served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 4 primary combat roles: infantry, armored corps, special forces, and combat engineering. Psychological characteristics were measured 12 months prior to enlistment. PMIE exposure was measured during the final month of military service using the Moral Injury Events Scale. Moral injury outcomes were assessed 6 months postdischarge using the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale-Military Version-Short Form. Posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) clusters were evaluated 1 year postdischarge using the PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.
Nearly half (49%) of participants reported exposure to PMIEs, while 8% met criteria for probable PTSD. The researchers say elevated PMIE rates observed in their sample may be attributed, in part, to participants’ extended deployments in densely populated urban areas, carrying out operations in close proximity to civilians, where it is difficult to distinguish between combatants and noncombatants. PTSD rates were somewhat lower than those reported in US studies (10% to 30%) among veterans; this may be attributed to the cohort not being engaged in a full-scale war, but deployed mostly in peacekeeping missions.
Longitudinal studies have described the effects of wartime atrocities on PTSD symptom severity. Studies have also linked moral injury outcomes and PTSS clusters (including negative alterations in cognition and mood [NACM]), depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. PMIEs can also include perceptions of betrayal from leaders, colleagues, or trusted others. The study of 374 male combat veterans found a direct effect of PMIE-betrayal on arousal and reactivity as well as NACM clusters. Results also showed indirect associations between exposure to all PMIE dimensions and PTSS clusters via moral injury outcomes. Combat exposure and experiencing PMIEs during military service significantly contributed to the emergence of PTSS during the first year after discharge. The study found 2 distinct paths PMIEs may lead to PTSS among veterans: experiencing acts of transgression and encountering betrayal.
Betrayal has been linked to feelings of anger and humiliation, emotions thought to have evolved to trigger adaptive behavioral responses, such as aggression and revenge, to threats or transgressions by others. PMIE-betrayal also demonstrated direct effects on the arousal and reactivity and NACM symptom clusters, suggesting partial mediation. Another study (also on IDF veterans) found significant positive correlations between PMIE-betrayal and the NACM cluster, suggesting PMIE-betrayal as a link between PTSD and moral injury. While the link between betrayal and NACM is readily apparent, its connection to arousal and reactivity, a fear-based physiological symptom, is less evident.
The findings of the study point to the need for assessment tools that separately measure exposure to PMIEs and individual reactions to them. A recent Federal Practitioner study of 100 veterans with a history of incarceration completed the Moral Injury Events Scale and an adapted version for legal-involved persons (MIES-LIP). The authors found that MIES-LIP demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including good reliability and convergent validity for legal-related moral injury.
The study cites a recent review of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies for individuals experiencing moral injury that challenges the adequacy of existing evidence-based treatments for PTSD for addressing moral injury and its associated symptoms. It is important to evaluate individuals who express feelings of betrayal with tailored, evidence-based interventions such as adaptive disclosure or cognitive-processing therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy may also help individuals experiencing emotions such as shame, humiliation, guilt, and anger following morally injurious events.
Newer therapy models like Multi-Modal Motion-Assisted Memory Desensitization and Reconsolidation allow clinicians to use personalized trauma cues to facilitate memory processing, reduce avoidance, and aid in emotional reconsolidation. Clinical research has demonstrated this model’s efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety, with high acceptability and low dropout rates among military personnel, veterans, and first responders.
Regardless of the treatment, the researchers encourage mental health professionals to approach veterans seeking help with the “utmost sensitivity and attentiveness to any expressions of (moral injury) outcomes.”
IBD 101: Intensive Course for GI Fellows Boosts Clinical Confidence
Results from the initial pilot program in 2019, called “IBD 101: Physicians and Patients Providing Pearls and Perspectives” are outlined in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases by Lisa Malter, MD, AGAF, a professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, and colleagues.
The course, conducted by Malter at NYU Langone’s simulation center, was designed to increase fellows’ early exposure to the complexities of IBD and its diagnosis and management in the context of rapidly changing therapies and variability across US GI training programs. The authors reported that the 2019 program was well received, with attendees showing “increased comfort and sustained benefit” in discussing IBD management with patients. Notably, participants’ increased comfort levels in broaching IBD topics persisted 3 years after the course compared with that of nonparticipating peers, pointing to potential improved patient care after completion of training.
“At this point, 1 in every 100 GI patients has IBD. It’s one of the more complex GI conditions and its incidence and prevalence are increasing globally,” Malter told GI & Hepatology News. Prevalence rates in the US are reportedly as high as 464.5 per 100,000 persons.
“In addition, its management has become more complicated with newer medications and treatments coming on stream,” she said. “An educational gap exists.”
The Program
The course provided an intimate, interactive format with national experts in the field serving as faculty. Course objectives included basic, introductory information on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of IBD; early exposure to IBD as a subspecialty to allow registrants to make informed career decisions; and information about other educational opportunities.
The course was designed to raise participants’ comfort levels in discussing seven topics with patients, including the need for surgery, IBD in pregnancy, treatment escalation in different disease scenarios, and lack of treatment response.
The three-part course, featuring case scenarios, was offered in person to 60 fellows selected by regional GI fellowship program directors and course faculty, which consisted of a director, three codirectors, and 14 local and national IBD experts. A half-day training session for faculty was held immediately before the course.
In September 2019, the first 32 fellows from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited programs participated in IBD 101. A total of 49 (89%) of 55 participants completed presession and immediate postsession surveys.
In the 3-year follow-up survey, among 36 fellows, of whom 21 (58%) attended IBD 101 and 15 (42%) did not, attendees reported overall IBD confidence and equivalent or higher levels of comfort in discussing each of seven topics.
Among the specific survey findings:
- 100% said the course had improved their ability to effectively treat and manage patients
- A higher proportion of attendees strongly agreed with having comfort in discussing pregnancy in IBD (43% vs 13%; P = .08)
- A statistically significant proportion strongly agreed with having comfort in discussing loss of response to biologics (62% vs 27%; P = .049)
- 98% reported increased interest in exploring IBD during fellowship
- 100% noted improved understanding of supplemental opportunities to learn about IBD
- 96% would strongly recommend this course to future GI fellows
Further testimony to the effectiveness of the ongoing course, said Malter, is that the version offered in 2024 attracted 425 GI fellows from across the country. “That’s about 90% of US GI fellows,” she said.
Offering an outsider’s perspective on the results of the course, Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan, MBBS, MPH, AGAF, a director or the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said, “It’s a useful update. It’s always good to see benefits from educational courses.” He expressed caution, however, “in that a small subset of GI fellows always selects toward those with greater IBD interest. Consequently, they likely have participated in several other IBD education activities in the intervening 3 years — so one can’t attribute benefit to this course alone.”
And while one effect of such courses may to increase the number of IBD-interested trainees, their role in providing IBD education to gastroenterologists who will not specialize in IBD is more important, Ananthakrishnan added. “These general gastroenterologists are going to be managing a lot of the IBD in the community, so in my opinion, ensuring they are comfortable with caring for IBD patients optimally is more important than training IBD specialists, who have many opportunities for education.”
In collaboration with the American College of Gastroenterology, the course is open to all first-year GI fellows training in North America. The most recent program was held on September 13, 2025.
This paper received no specific funding. The IBD course has been supported by unrestricted educational grants from Pfizer and Takeda Pharmaceuticals and sponsorships from AbbVie, Janssen, and Prometheus Labs.Malter reported receiving educational grants from AbbVie, Janssen, Pfizer, and Takeda; serving as a consultant for Abbvie and Pharmacosmos; and serving on the advisory boards for AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Janssen, Merck, and Takeda. Multiple coauthors disclosed similar relationships with numerous private-sector companies.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Results from the initial pilot program in 2019, called “IBD 101: Physicians and Patients Providing Pearls and Perspectives” are outlined in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases by Lisa Malter, MD, AGAF, a professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, and colleagues.
The course, conducted by Malter at NYU Langone’s simulation center, was designed to increase fellows’ early exposure to the complexities of IBD and its diagnosis and management in the context of rapidly changing therapies and variability across US GI training programs. The authors reported that the 2019 program was well received, with attendees showing “increased comfort and sustained benefit” in discussing IBD management with patients. Notably, participants’ increased comfort levels in broaching IBD topics persisted 3 years after the course compared with that of nonparticipating peers, pointing to potential improved patient care after completion of training.
“At this point, 1 in every 100 GI patients has IBD. It’s one of the more complex GI conditions and its incidence and prevalence are increasing globally,” Malter told GI & Hepatology News. Prevalence rates in the US are reportedly as high as 464.5 per 100,000 persons.
“In addition, its management has become more complicated with newer medications and treatments coming on stream,” she said. “An educational gap exists.”
The Program
The course provided an intimate, interactive format with national experts in the field serving as faculty. Course objectives included basic, introductory information on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of IBD; early exposure to IBD as a subspecialty to allow registrants to make informed career decisions; and information about other educational opportunities.
The course was designed to raise participants’ comfort levels in discussing seven topics with patients, including the need for surgery, IBD in pregnancy, treatment escalation in different disease scenarios, and lack of treatment response.
The three-part course, featuring case scenarios, was offered in person to 60 fellows selected by regional GI fellowship program directors and course faculty, which consisted of a director, three codirectors, and 14 local and national IBD experts. A half-day training session for faculty was held immediately before the course.
In September 2019, the first 32 fellows from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited programs participated in IBD 101. A total of 49 (89%) of 55 participants completed presession and immediate postsession surveys.
In the 3-year follow-up survey, among 36 fellows, of whom 21 (58%) attended IBD 101 and 15 (42%) did not, attendees reported overall IBD confidence and equivalent or higher levels of comfort in discussing each of seven topics.
Among the specific survey findings:
- 100% said the course had improved their ability to effectively treat and manage patients
- A higher proportion of attendees strongly agreed with having comfort in discussing pregnancy in IBD (43% vs 13%; P = .08)
- A statistically significant proportion strongly agreed with having comfort in discussing loss of response to biologics (62% vs 27%; P = .049)
- 98% reported increased interest in exploring IBD during fellowship
- 100% noted improved understanding of supplemental opportunities to learn about IBD
- 96% would strongly recommend this course to future GI fellows
Further testimony to the effectiveness of the ongoing course, said Malter, is that the version offered in 2024 attracted 425 GI fellows from across the country. “That’s about 90% of US GI fellows,” she said.
Offering an outsider’s perspective on the results of the course, Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan, MBBS, MPH, AGAF, a director or the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said, “It’s a useful update. It’s always good to see benefits from educational courses.” He expressed caution, however, “in that a small subset of GI fellows always selects toward those with greater IBD interest. Consequently, they likely have participated in several other IBD education activities in the intervening 3 years — so one can’t attribute benefit to this course alone.”
And while one effect of such courses may to increase the number of IBD-interested trainees, their role in providing IBD education to gastroenterologists who will not specialize in IBD is more important, Ananthakrishnan added. “These general gastroenterologists are going to be managing a lot of the IBD in the community, so in my opinion, ensuring they are comfortable with caring for IBD patients optimally is more important than training IBD specialists, who have many opportunities for education.”
In collaboration with the American College of Gastroenterology, the course is open to all first-year GI fellows training in North America. The most recent program was held on September 13, 2025.
This paper received no specific funding. The IBD course has been supported by unrestricted educational grants from Pfizer and Takeda Pharmaceuticals and sponsorships from AbbVie, Janssen, and Prometheus Labs.Malter reported receiving educational grants from AbbVie, Janssen, Pfizer, and Takeda; serving as a consultant for Abbvie and Pharmacosmos; and serving on the advisory boards for AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Janssen, Merck, and Takeda. Multiple coauthors disclosed similar relationships with numerous private-sector companies.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Results from the initial pilot program in 2019, called “IBD 101: Physicians and Patients Providing Pearls and Perspectives” are outlined in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases by Lisa Malter, MD, AGAF, a professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, and colleagues.
The course, conducted by Malter at NYU Langone’s simulation center, was designed to increase fellows’ early exposure to the complexities of IBD and its diagnosis and management in the context of rapidly changing therapies and variability across US GI training programs. The authors reported that the 2019 program was well received, with attendees showing “increased comfort and sustained benefit” in discussing IBD management with patients. Notably, participants’ increased comfort levels in broaching IBD topics persisted 3 years after the course compared with that of nonparticipating peers, pointing to potential improved patient care after completion of training.
“At this point, 1 in every 100 GI patients has IBD. It’s one of the more complex GI conditions and its incidence and prevalence are increasing globally,” Malter told GI & Hepatology News. Prevalence rates in the US are reportedly as high as 464.5 per 100,000 persons.
“In addition, its management has become more complicated with newer medications and treatments coming on stream,” she said. “An educational gap exists.”
The Program
The course provided an intimate, interactive format with national experts in the field serving as faculty. Course objectives included basic, introductory information on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of IBD; early exposure to IBD as a subspecialty to allow registrants to make informed career decisions; and information about other educational opportunities.
The course was designed to raise participants’ comfort levels in discussing seven topics with patients, including the need for surgery, IBD in pregnancy, treatment escalation in different disease scenarios, and lack of treatment response.
The three-part course, featuring case scenarios, was offered in person to 60 fellows selected by regional GI fellowship program directors and course faculty, which consisted of a director, three codirectors, and 14 local and national IBD experts. A half-day training session for faculty was held immediately before the course.
In September 2019, the first 32 fellows from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited programs participated in IBD 101. A total of 49 (89%) of 55 participants completed presession and immediate postsession surveys.
In the 3-year follow-up survey, among 36 fellows, of whom 21 (58%) attended IBD 101 and 15 (42%) did not, attendees reported overall IBD confidence and equivalent or higher levels of comfort in discussing each of seven topics.
Among the specific survey findings:
- 100% said the course had improved their ability to effectively treat and manage patients
- A higher proportion of attendees strongly agreed with having comfort in discussing pregnancy in IBD (43% vs 13%; P = .08)
- A statistically significant proportion strongly agreed with having comfort in discussing loss of response to biologics (62% vs 27%; P = .049)
- 98% reported increased interest in exploring IBD during fellowship
- 100% noted improved understanding of supplemental opportunities to learn about IBD
- 96% would strongly recommend this course to future GI fellows
Further testimony to the effectiveness of the ongoing course, said Malter, is that the version offered in 2024 attracted 425 GI fellows from across the country. “That’s about 90% of US GI fellows,” she said.
Offering an outsider’s perspective on the results of the course, Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan, MBBS, MPH, AGAF, a director or the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said, “It’s a useful update. It’s always good to see benefits from educational courses.” He expressed caution, however, “in that a small subset of GI fellows always selects toward those with greater IBD interest. Consequently, they likely have participated in several other IBD education activities in the intervening 3 years — so one can’t attribute benefit to this course alone.”
And while one effect of such courses may to increase the number of IBD-interested trainees, their role in providing IBD education to gastroenterologists who will not specialize in IBD is more important, Ananthakrishnan added. “These general gastroenterologists are going to be managing a lot of the IBD in the community, so in my opinion, ensuring they are comfortable with caring for IBD patients optimally is more important than training IBD specialists, who have many opportunities for education.”
In collaboration with the American College of Gastroenterology, the course is open to all first-year GI fellows training in North America. The most recent program was held on September 13, 2025.
This paper received no specific funding. The IBD course has been supported by unrestricted educational grants from Pfizer and Takeda Pharmaceuticals and sponsorships from AbbVie, Janssen, and Prometheus Labs.Malter reported receiving educational grants from AbbVie, Janssen, Pfizer, and Takeda; serving as a consultant for Abbvie and Pharmacosmos; and serving on the advisory boards for AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Janssen, Merck, and Takeda. Multiple coauthors disclosed similar relationships with numerous private-sector companies.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
FDA OKs Tremfya for Ulcerative Colitis
Guselkumab is the first and only interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor available as both SC and intravenous (IV) induction options for the treatment of UC and Crohn’s disease (CD), the company noted in a news release.
The approval of SC guselkumab induction in UC was based on results from the phase 3 ASTRO trial, which randomly allocated 418 patients with moderately to severely active UC to receive either induction with 400 mg SC guselkumab at weeks 0, 4, and 8 or placebo.
Following induction, the treatment group either received a maintenance dose of 200 mg SC guselkumab at week 12 and then every 4 weeks or 100 mg every 8 weeks (starting at 16 weeks).
All patients had had an inadequate response or intolerance to conventional therapy.
All primary and secondary endpoints demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements with SC guselkumab compared to placebo across all clinical and endoscopic measures, the company said.
At 12 weeks, a significantly greater proportion of patients treated with 400 mg SC guselkumab every 4 weeks achieved clinical remission (26% vs 7% with placebo; P < .001) and endoscopic improvement (36% vs 12%; P < .001).
The results were consistent with the FDA-approved 200 mg IV induction regimen, which previously achieved clinical remission (23% vs 8% with placebo; P < .001) and endoscopic improvement (27% vs 11%; P < .001).
The efficacy of SC and IV induction was comparable across subgroups with severe or refractory disease and both routes demonstrated a similar time to onset of efficacy.
SC guselkumab induction followed by SC guselkumab maintenance therapy also demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in clinical remission and endoscopic improvement compared to placebo.
“Historically, IL-23 inhibitors have required IV infusions at the start of therapy, which can create barriers to starting treatment or be burdensome for some patients and clinicians,” study investigator David T. Rubin, MD, AGAF, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at University of Chicago Medicine, said in the news release.
“UC patients and providers now have the choice of starting Tremfya with a self-administered subcutaneous injection, with the same efficacy and safety that were established with IV induction in the prior clinical trials and subsequently seen in our real-world practice,” Rubin said.
Full prescribing information and medication guide are available online.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Guselkumab is the first and only interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor available as both SC and intravenous (IV) induction options for the treatment of UC and Crohn’s disease (CD), the company noted in a news release.
The approval of SC guselkumab induction in UC was based on results from the phase 3 ASTRO trial, which randomly allocated 418 patients with moderately to severely active UC to receive either induction with 400 mg SC guselkumab at weeks 0, 4, and 8 or placebo.
Following induction, the treatment group either received a maintenance dose of 200 mg SC guselkumab at week 12 and then every 4 weeks or 100 mg every 8 weeks (starting at 16 weeks).
All patients had had an inadequate response or intolerance to conventional therapy.
All primary and secondary endpoints demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements with SC guselkumab compared to placebo across all clinical and endoscopic measures, the company said.
At 12 weeks, a significantly greater proportion of patients treated with 400 mg SC guselkumab every 4 weeks achieved clinical remission (26% vs 7% with placebo; P < .001) and endoscopic improvement (36% vs 12%; P < .001).
The results were consistent with the FDA-approved 200 mg IV induction regimen, which previously achieved clinical remission (23% vs 8% with placebo; P < .001) and endoscopic improvement (27% vs 11%; P < .001).
The efficacy of SC and IV induction was comparable across subgroups with severe or refractory disease and both routes demonstrated a similar time to onset of efficacy.
SC guselkumab induction followed by SC guselkumab maintenance therapy also demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in clinical remission and endoscopic improvement compared to placebo.
“Historically, IL-23 inhibitors have required IV infusions at the start of therapy, which can create barriers to starting treatment or be burdensome for some patients and clinicians,” study investigator David T. Rubin, MD, AGAF, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at University of Chicago Medicine, said in the news release.
“UC patients and providers now have the choice of starting Tremfya with a self-administered subcutaneous injection, with the same efficacy and safety that were established with IV induction in the prior clinical trials and subsequently seen in our real-world practice,” Rubin said.
Full prescribing information and medication guide are available online.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Guselkumab is the first and only interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor available as both SC and intravenous (IV) induction options for the treatment of UC and Crohn’s disease (CD), the company noted in a news release.
The approval of SC guselkumab induction in UC was based on results from the phase 3 ASTRO trial, which randomly allocated 418 patients with moderately to severely active UC to receive either induction with 400 mg SC guselkumab at weeks 0, 4, and 8 or placebo.
Following induction, the treatment group either received a maintenance dose of 200 mg SC guselkumab at week 12 and then every 4 weeks or 100 mg every 8 weeks (starting at 16 weeks).
All patients had had an inadequate response or intolerance to conventional therapy.
All primary and secondary endpoints demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements with SC guselkumab compared to placebo across all clinical and endoscopic measures, the company said.
At 12 weeks, a significantly greater proportion of patients treated with 400 mg SC guselkumab every 4 weeks achieved clinical remission (26% vs 7% with placebo; P < .001) and endoscopic improvement (36% vs 12%; P < .001).
The results were consistent with the FDA-approved 200 mg IV induction regimen, which previously achieved clinical remission (23% vs 8% with placebo; P < .001) and endoscopic improvement (27% vs 11%; P < .001).
The efficacy of SC and IV induction was comparable across subgroups with severe or refractory disease and both routes demonstrated a similar time to onset of efficacy.
SC guselkumab induction followed by SC guselkumab maintenance therapy also demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in clinical remission and endoscopic improvement compared to placebo.
“Historically, IL-23 inhibitors have required IV infusions at the start of therapy, which can create barriers to starting treatment or be burdensome for some patients and clinicians,” study investigator David T. Rubin, MD, AGAF, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at University of Chicago Medicine, said in the news release.
“UC patients and providers now have the choice of starting Tremfya with a self-administered subcutaneous injection, with the same efficacy and safety that were established with IV induction in the prior clinical trials and subsequently seen in our real-world practice,” Rubin said.
Full prescribing information and medication guide are available online.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Could a Clinical Decision Support Tool Improve Outcomes in Pediatric Diarrhea?
“Clinical decision support tools are designed to assist clinicians in making informed and accurate diagnostic and prognostic decisions using available characteristics of the patient and the larger context,” Anna Jones, MD, MPH, and her colleagues wrote in JAMA Network Open.
Jones is in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.
Jones and her coauthors concluded such a tool had the potential to improve evidence-based testing in pediatric diarrhea and help clinicians communicate clearly to parents the etiology of their child’s illness. Parents in the study, however, expressed skepticism over the tool, voicing concerns that physicians might over-rely on its algorithms.
The authors said that thanks to the development of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panels for gastroenteritis, it is now possible to quickly identify up to 22 different pathogens from stool samples. What is lacking, they suggested, are protocols for knowing when to test for these pathogens.
“Although the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2017 clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infectious diarrhea provide broad recommendations for when diarrhea-related diagnostics should be used, clear guidelines specific to the use of multiplex PCR panels do not exist,” Jones and her coauthors wrote, adding that misusing the diagnostics, however, “can lead to inappropriate antibiotic use and excess financial burdens.”
Meanwhile, communication breakdowns in the patient-doctor relationship are a leading contributor to diagnostic errors, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Subsequently, the National Academy of Medicine has recommended that healthcare professionals seek to engage patients and their families in the diagnostic process.
With these factors in mind, Jones and her colleagues recruited parents who had sought care for their child’s diarrhea and clinicians who routinely treat children with diarrhea. The recruits came from five urgent care sites and one emergency department (ED), all in Utah. Participants were interviewed between June 15, 2023, and January 24, 2025.
In all, the authors interviewed 44 parents (40 women; median age, 34 years). One parent (2%) identified as Asian, two (5%) as Black or African American, 15 (34%) as Hispanic or Latin, and 22 (50%) as White individuals. The remaining four participants (9%) were of unknown race and ethnicity. Most parents spoke English as their primary language (40 [91%]).
Among the 16 clinicians, 10 were physicians and six were nurse practitioners or physician associates. Eleven of the 16 were women and the group had a median age of 42 years. Fourteen clinicians (88%) self-identified as White individuals and two (13%) had unknown race and ethnicity.
All were interviewed on their management of pediatric diarrhea and about their expectations for diagnostic testing and treatment of the condition, as well as the perceived utility of a clinical decision support tool.
Jones and colleagues identified three motivations among parents who sought clinical care for a child with diarrhea. The first was reassurance, which the authors said included validation for what the parents were already doing to care for their child.
The second motivation was to obtain insight into the etiology of their child’s symptoms. “Many believed that diagnostic testing to identify the specific etiology of the illness would be useful. Parents indicated that knowing the etiology would offer desired reassurance and potentially inform treatment decisions,” Jones and her coauthors wrote.
Lastly, parents sought appropriate treatment and symptom relief.
Many clinicians acknowledged the benefits of a clinical decision support tool for help with evidence-based decision-making during diagnosis and to facilitate communication with families. However, they expressed skepticism over the use of diagnostics for etiology, noting that disease management was not dependent upon knowing it.
Some clinicians said many families expected a test. “Even if I don’t think that a GI [gastrointestinal] stool study is necessary, there are situations where…a family is not going to leave the [ED] happy without one. And so I probably order them sometimes when they’re not truly indicated,” a physician reported in the interview.
“That said,” Jones and her coauthors wrote, “clinicians thought that diagnostic testing for pediatric diarrhea was generally not warranted, except in unique cases [such as] bloody stools, prolonged duration of diarrhea, or travel history.”
Many clinicians thought a decision-making tool might help build trust and rapport with the patient’s family, reassuring them their child is getting evidence-based care.
“It just adds to that shared decision-making model. I think it adds trust…I think it does kind of back up our ability to defend why we’re doing what we’re doing,” reported one surveyed ED physician.
Parents were mostly wary of the potential use of a clinical decision-making tool. Jones and colleagues reported that in addition to some clinicians, “several parents expressed concerns that a tool does not account for nuances and would lead to ‘generalizing every kid’ (said the father of a child aged 1-3 years), as opposed to providing patient-centered care.”
Parents also said they worried a clinician would not reply upon their own clinical judgement if they had a diagnostic tool.
Jones and her colleagues concluded that before implementing a clinical decision support tool in pediatric diarrhea, strategies are necessary to, “resolve tension in care expectations, facilitate diagnostic stewardship, and optimize care.”
In an accompanying editorial, KC Coffey, MD, MPH, concluded that the study by Jones and colleagues suggests that adapting such tools to incorporate parental expectations, “could facilitate patient engagement in the diagnostic process and increase acceptance of [using these tools for] decisions. Such discussions might also raise awareness of the potential harms of over testing.” Coffey is an epidemiologist and infectious disease physician at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Elizabeth Dobler, MD, who was not involved in the study, told GI & Hepatology News that “as the number of available tests continues to grow, stewardship is becoming more relevant than ever. Families may not always realize the downsides of unnecessary testing — such as false positives, avoidable procedures, or added risks — and part of our responsibility is to help them understand both the potential benefits and the potential harms of these tests.”
Dobler is the medical director for clinical decision support in the Department of Clinical Informatics at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago.
Clinical decision support tools are helpful in the clinical setting, Dobler said because “they give providers quick access to the most relevant information needed for decision-making. This includes patient-specific details — symptoms, history, labs, and vitals” as well as the characteristics and downsides of the tests. In an ideal world, she said, clinicians would consider these data for every patient.
Dobler cautioned however, that, “it’s important to stress that these tools don’t replace clinical judgment — the provider still evaluates the patient, considers the clinical context, and incorporates the family’s preferences. But as a complement to that process, I believe these tools are very valuable.”
Lastly, Dobler said that transparency is key to helping parents overcome their hesitancy regarding these tools.
Jones, Coffey, and Dobler reported no relevant financial disclosures.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
“Clinical decision support tools are designed to assist clinicians in making informed and accurate diagnostic and prognostic decisions using available characteristics of the patient and the larger context,” Anna Jones, MD, MPH, and her colleagues wrote in JAMA Network Open.
Jones is in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.
Jones and her coauthors concluded such a tool had the potential to improve evidence-based testing in pediatric diarrhea and help clinicians communicate clearly to parents the etiology of their child’s illness. Parents in the study, however, expressed skepticism over the tool, voicing concerns that physicians might over-rely on its algorithms.
The authors said that thanks to the development of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panels for gastroenteritis, it is now possible to quickly identify up to 22 different pathogens from stool samples. What is lacking, they suggested, are protocols for knowing when to test for these pathogens.
“Although the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2017 clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infectious diarrhea provide broad recommendations for when diarrhea-related diagnostics should be used, clear guidelines specific to the use of multiplex PCR panels do not exist,” Jones and her coauthors wrote, adding that misusing the diagnostics, however, “can lead to inappropriate antibiotic use and excess financial burdens.”
Meanwhile, communication breakdowns in the patient-doctor relationship are a leading contributor to diagnostic errors, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Subsequently, the National Academy of Medicine has recommended that healthcare professionals seek to engage patients and their families in the diagnostic process.
With these factors in mind, Jones and her colleagues recruited parents who had sought care for their child’s diarrhea and clinicians who routinely treat children with diarrhea. The recruits came from five urgent care sites and one emergency department (ED), all in Utah. Participants were interviewed between June 15, 2023, and January 24, 2025.
In all, the authors interviewed 44 parents (40 women; median age, 34 years). One parent (2%) identified as Asian, two (5%) as Black or African American, 15 (34%) as Hispanic or Latin, and 22 (50%) as White individuals. The remaining four participants (9%) were of unknown race and ethnicity. Most parents spoke English as their primary language (40 [91%]).
Among the 16 clinicians, 10 were physicians and six were nurse practitioners or physician associates. Eleven of the 16 were women and the group had a median age of 42 years. Fourteen clinicians (88%) self-identified as White individuals and two (13%) had unknown race and ethnicity.
All were interviewed on their management of pediatric diarrhea and about their expectations for diagnostic testing and treatment of the condition, as well as the perceived utility of a clinical decision support tool.
Jones and colleagues identified three motivations among parents who sought clinical care for a child with diarrhea. The first was reassurance, which the authors said included validation for what the parents were already doing to care for their child.
The second motivation was to obtain insight into the etiology of their child’s symptoms. “Many believed that diagnostic testing to identify the specific etiology of the illness would be useful. Parents indicated that knowing the etiology would offer desired reassurance and potentially inform treatment decisions,” Jones and her coauthors wrote.
Lastly, parents sought appropriate treatment and symptom relief.
Many clinicians acknowledged the benefits of a clinical decision support tool for help with evidence-based decision-making during diagnosis and to facilitate communication with families. However, they expressed skepticism over the use of diagnostics for etiology, noting that disease management was not dependent upon knowing it.
Some clinicians said many families expected a test. “Even if I don’t think that a GI [gastrointestinal] stool study is necessary, there are situations where…a family is not going to leave the [ED] happy without one. And so I probably order them sometimes when they’re not truly indicated,” a physician reported in the interview.
“That said,” Jones and her coauthors wrote, “clinicians thought that diagnostic testing for pediatric diarrhea was generally not warranted, except in unique cases [such as] bloody stools, prolonged duration of diarrhea, or travel history.”
Many clinicians thought a decision-making tool might help build trust and rapport with the patient’s family, reassuring them their child is getting evidence-based care.
“It just adds to that shared decision-making model. I think it adds trust…I think it does kind of back up our ability to defend why we’re doing what we’re doing,” reported one surveyed ED physician.
Parents were mostly wary of the potential use of a clinical decision-making tool. Jones and colleagues reported that in addition to some clinicians, “several parents expressed concerns that a tool does not account for nuances and would lead to ‘generalizing every kid’ (said the father of a child aged 1-3 years), as opposed to providing patient-centered care.”
Parents also said they worried a clinician would not reply upon their own clinical judgement if they had a diagnostic tool.
Jones and her colleagues concluded that before implementing a clinical decision support tool in pediatric diarrhea, strategies are necessary to, “resolve tension in care expectations, facilitate diagnostic stewardship, and optimize care.”
In an accompanying editorial, KC Coffey, MD, MPH, concluded that the study by Jones and colleagues suggests that adapting such tools to incorporate parental expectations, “could facilitate patient engagement in the diagnostic process and increase acceptance of [using these tools for] decisions. Such discussions might also raise awareness of the potential harms of over testing.” Coffey is an epidemiologist and infectious disease physician at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Elizabeth Dobler, MD, who was not involved in the study, told GI & Hepatology News that “as the number of available tests continues to grow, stewardship is becoming more relevant than ever. Families may not always realize the downsides of unnecessary testing — such as false positives, avoidable procedures, or added risks — and part of our responsibility is to help them understand both the potential benefits and the potential harms of these tests.”
Dobler is the medical director for clinical decision support in the Department of Clinical Informatics at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago.
Clinical decision support tools are helpful in the clinical setting, Dobler said because “they give providers quick access to the most relevant information needed for decision-making. This includes patient-specific details — symptoms, history, labs, and vitals” as well as the characteristics and downsides of the tests. In an ideal world, she said, clinicians would consider these data for every patient.
Dobler cautioned however, that, “it’s important to stress that these tools don’t replace clinical judgment — the provider still evaluates the patient, considers the clinical context, and incorporates the family’s preferences. But as a complement to that process, I believe these tools are very valuable.”
Lastly, Dobler said that transparency is key to helping parents overcome their hesitancy regarding these tools.
Jones, Coffey, and Dobler reported no relevant financial disclosures.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
“Clinical decision support tools are designed to assist clinicians in making informed and accurate diagnostic and prognostic decisions using available characteristics of the patient and the larger context,” Anna Jones, MD, MPH, and her colleagues wrote in JAMA Network Open.
Jones is in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.
Jones and her coauthors concluded such a tool had the potential to improve evidence-based testing in pediatric diarrhea and help clinicians communicate clearly to parents the etiology of their child’s illness. Parents in the study, however, expressed skepticism over the tool, voicing concerns that physicians might over-rely on its algorithms.
The authors said that thanks to the development of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panels for gastroenteritis, it is now possible to quickly identify up to 22 different pathogens from stool samples. What is lacking, they suggested, are protocols for knowing when to test for these pathogens.
“Although the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2017 clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infectious diarrhea provide broad recommendations for when diarrhea-related diagnostics should be used, clear guidelines specific to the use of multiplex PCR panels do not exist,” Jones and her coauthors wrote, adding that misusing the diagnostics, however, “can lead to inappropriate antibiotic use and excess financial burdens.”
Meanwhile, communication breakdowns in the patient-doctor relationship are a leading contributor to diagnostic errors, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Subsequently, the National Academy of Medicine has recommended that healthcare professionals seek to engage patients and their families in the diagnostic process.
With these factors in mind, Jones and her colleagues recruited parents who had sought care for their child’s diarrhea and clinicians who routinely treat children with diarrhea. The recruits came from five urgent care sites and one emergency department (ED), all in Utah. Participants were interviewed between June 15, 2023, and January 24, 2025.
In all, the authors interviewed 44 parents (40 women; median age, 34 years). One parent (2%) identified as Asian, two (5%) as Black or African American, 15 (34%) as Hispanic or Latin, and 22 (50%) as White individuals. The remaining four participants (9%) were of unknown race and ethnicity. Most parents spoke English as their primary language (40 [91%]).
Among the 16 clinicians, 10 were physicians and six were nurse practitioners or physician associates. Eleven of the 16 were women and the group had a median age of 42 years. Fourteen clinicians (88%) self-identified as White individuals and two (13%) had unknown race and ethnicity.
All were interviewed on their management of pediatric diarrhea and about their expectations for diagnostic testing and treatment of the condition, as well as the perceived utility of a clinical decision support tool.
Jones and colleagues identified three motivations among parents who sought clinical care for a child with diarrhea. The first was reassurance, which the authors said included validation for what the parents were already doing to care for their child.
The second motivation was to obtain insight into the etiology of their child’s symptoms. “Many believed that diagnostic testing to identify the specific etiology of the illness would be useful. Parents indicated that knowing the etiology would offer desired reassurance and potentially inform treatment decisions,” Jones and her coauthors wrote.
Lastly, parents sought appropriate treatment and symptom relief.
Many clinicians acknowledged the benefits of a clinical decision support tool for help with evidence-based decision-making during diagnosis and to facilitate communication with families. However, they expressed skepticism over the use of diagnostics for etiology, noting that disease management was not dependent upon knowing it.
Some clinicians said many families expected a test. “Even if I don’t think that a GI [gastrointestinal] stool study is necessary, there are situations where…a family is not going to leave the [ED] happy without one. And so I probably order them sometimes when they’re not truly indicated,” a physician reported in the interview.
“That said,” Jones and her coauthors wrote, “clinicians thought that diagnostic testing for pediatric diarrhea was generally not warranted, except in unique cases [such as] bloody stools, prolonged duration of diarrhea, or travel history.”
Many clinicians thought a decision-making tool might help build trust and rapport with the patient’s family, reassuring them their child is getting evidence-based care.
“It just adds to that shared decision-making model. I think it adds trust…I think it does kind of back up our ability to defend why we’re doing what we’re doing,” reported one surveyed ED physician.
Parents were mostly wary of the potential use of a clinical decision-making tool. Jones and colleagues reported that in addition to some clinicians, “several parents expressed concerns that a tool does not account for nuances and would lead to ‘generalizing every kid’ (said the father of a child aged 1-3 years), as opposed to providing patient-centered care.”
Parents also said they worried a clinician would not reply upon their own clinical judgement if they had a diagnostic tool.
Jones and her colleagues concluded that before implementing a clinical decision support tool in pediatric diarrhea, strategies are necessary to, “resolve tension in care expectations, facilitate diagnostic stewardship, and optimize care.”
In an accompanying editorial, KC Coffey, MD, MPH, concluded that the study by Jones and colleagues suggests that adapting such tools to incorporate parental expectations, “could facilitate patient engagement in the diagnostic process and increase acceptance of [using these tools for] decisions. Such discussions might also raise awareness of the potential harms of over testing.” Coffey is an epidemiologist and infectious disease physician at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Elizabeth Dobler, MD, who was not involved in the study, told GI & Hepatology News that “as the number of available tests continues to grow, stewardship is becoming more relevant than ever. Families may not always realize the downsides of unnecessary testing — such as false positives, avoidable procedures, or added risks — and part of our responsibility is to help them understand both the potential benefits and the potential harms of these tests.”
Dobler is the medical director for clinical decision support in the Department of Clinical Informatics at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago.
Clinical decision support tools are helpful in the clinical setting, Dobler said because “they give providers quick access to the most relevant information needed for decision-making. This includes patient-specific details — symptoms, history, labs, and vitals” as well as the characteristics and downsides of the tests. In an ideal world, she said, clinicians would consider these data for every patient.
Dobler cautioned however, that, “it’s important to stress that these tools don’t replace clinical judgment — the provider still evaluates the patient, considers the clinical context, and incorporates the family’s preferences. But as a complement to that process, I believe these tools are very valuable.”
Lastly, Dobler said that transparency is key to helping parents overcome their hesitancy regarding these tools.
Jones, Coffey, and Dobler reported no relevant financial disclosures.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Are Probiotics for Pouchitis Prevention Worth the Cost?
, but its cost-effectiveness depends on relapse risk and may only be justified in patients who experience frequent relapses of pouchitis, a new analysis showed.
“Our findings highlight that while probiotic treatments can reduce the risk of this complication, their high costs limit their overall value for most patients,” lead author Gaurav Syal, MD, a gastroenterologist at UCLA Health, said in a statement.
“Our analysis can help guide shared decision-making between patients, clinicians, and payers to ensure resources are used where they can provide the most benefit,” Syal added.
The study was published online in Gastro Hep Advances.
Common Complication After Ulcerative Colitis Surgery
Pouchitis is a common complication in patients with ulcerative colitis who undergo restorative proctocolectomy with IPAA, with a cumulative incidence of around 48% at 2 years and 80% at 30 years.
Many patients who experience pouchitis have a single episode and respond well to short antibiotic courses. However, others develop recurrent or relapsing pouchitis, and 17% progress to a chronic form that can become dependent on antibiotics or refractory to antibiotics.
An eight-strain probiotic was shown to be effective in primary and secondary prevention of pouchitis in randomized, placebo-controlled trials.
Syal and colleagues sought to determine whether it’s worth the cost.
They constructed decision-tree models with Markov simulations to compare the risk for initial development and recurrence of pouchitis over a 2-year period between no prophylaxis and daily use of the eight-strain probiotic.
In the primary prophylaxis model, the cycle length was 2 weeks and pouchitis treatment sequence was ciprofloxacin, metronidazole and ciprofloxacin-tinidazole. In the secondary prophylaxis model, the cycle length was 4 weeks and pouchitis treatment sequence was initially the same as the primary prophylaxis model with the addition of vedolizumab and infliximab.
Costs were calculated from a US third-party payer perspective, using a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY).
For primary prevention, the probiotic slightly increased QALYs compared with no probiotic (0.927 vs 0.918) but at a far higher cost ($2223 vs $299), resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $236,076 per QALY — well above the accepted threshold.
In patients with infrequent relapses, probiotic use was slightly more effective than no use of probiotic (cumulative QALYs, 1.26 vs 1.24) but more expensive ($3370 vs $557), yielding an ICER of $153,011 per QALY — again above the accepted threshold.
However, sensitivity analyses revealed that the probiotic was cost-effective in patients with frequent relapsing pouchitis — defined as two or more episodes per year.
In this subgroup, the ICER dropped below the willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per QALY, and in some scenarios, the probiotic even became the dominant strategy, meaning it was both more effective and less costly than no prophylaxis, the researchers noted.
Current guidelines from AGA on managing pouchitis suggest using probiotics to prevent recurrent episodes of pouchitis with a caveat that those who experience infrequent episodes may choose to avoid secondary prevention strategies.
“Our findings supplement the guidelines by confirming that the eight-strain probiotics can be cost-effective in frequent relapsing not in infrequent relapsing pouchitis,” the authors wrote.
They also noted that the probiotic cost itself was the biggest driver of results, accounting for 95% of the total cost in the primary prevention model. According to their analysis, reducing its price by half could make it a cost-effective option more broadly.
They also noted that probiotic prophylaxis could be cost-effective for patients at higher-than-average risk, such as those with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), who have 4.2 times higher odds of developing pouchitis than peers without PSC.
But they cautioned that “further research is warranted on the effectiveness of the eight-strain probiotic for primary prevention of pouchitis in patients with ulcerative colitis and IPAA and PSC.”
The study had no financial support. Syal reported receiving research support from Pfizer.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
, but its cost-effectiveness depends on relapse risk and may only be justified in patients who experience frequent relapses of pouchitis, a new analysis showed.
“Our findings highlight that while probiotic treatments can reduce the risk of this complication, their high costs limit their overall value for most patients,” lead author Gaurav Syal, MD, a gastroenterologist at UCLA Health, said in a statement.
“Our analysis can help guide shared decision-making between patients, clinicians, and payers to ensure resources are used where they can provide the most benefit,” Syal added.
The study was published online in Gastro Hep Advances.
Common Complication After Ulcerative Colitis Surgery
Pouchitis is a common complication in patients with ulcerative colitis who undergo restorative proctocolectomy with IPAA, with a cumulative incidence of around 48% at 2 years and 80% at 30 years.
Many patients who experience pouchitis have a single episode and respond well to short antibiotic courses. However, others develop recurrent or relapsing pouchitis, and 17% progress to a chronic form that can become dependent on antibiotics or refractory to antibiotics.
An eight-strain probiotic was shown to be effective in primary and secondary prevention of pouchitis in randomized, placebo-controlled trials.
Syal and colleagues sought to determine whether it’s worth the cost.
They constructed decision-tree models with Markov simulations to compare the risk for initial development and recurrence of pouchitis over a 2-year period between no prophylaxis and daily use of the eight-strain probiotic.
In the primary prophylaxis model, the cycle length was 2 weeks and pouchitis treatment sequence was ciprofloxacin, metronidazole and ciprofloxacin-tinidazole. In the secondary prophylaxis model, the cycle length was 4 weeks and pouchitis treatment sequence was initially the same as the primary prophylaxis model with the addition of vedolizumab and infliximab.
Costs were calculated from a US third-party payer perspective, using a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY).
For primary prevention, the probiotic slightly increased QALYs compared with no probiotic (0.927 vs 0.918) but at a far higher cost ($2223 vs $299), resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $236,076 per QALY — well above the accepted threshold.
In patients with infrequent relapses, probiotic use was slightly more effective than no use of probiotic (cumulative QALYs, 1.26 vs 1.24) but more expensive ($3370 vs $557), yielding an ICER of $153,011 per QALY — again above the accepted threshold.
However, sensitivity analyses revealed that the probiotic was cost-effective in patients with frequent relapsing pouchitis — defined as two or more episodes per year.
In this subgroup, the ICER dropped below the willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per QALY, and in some scenarios, the probiotic even became the dominant strategy, meaning it was both more effective and less costly than no prophylaxis, the researchers noted.
Current guidelines from AGA on managing pouchitis suggest using probiotics to prevent recurrent episodes of pouchitis with a caveat that those who experience infrequent episodes may choose to avoid secondary prevention strategies.
“Our findings supplement the guidelines by confirming that the eight-strain probiotics can be cost-effective in frequent relapsing not in infrequent relapsing pouchitis,” the authors wrote.
They also noted that the probiotic cost itself was the biggest driver of results, accounting for 95% of the total cost in the primary prevention model. According to their analysis, reducing its price by half could make it a cost-effective option more broadly.
They also noted that probiotic prophylaxis could be cost-effective for patients at higher-than-average risk, such as those with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), who have 4.2 times higher odds of developing pouchitis than peers without PSC.
But they cautioned that “further research is warranted on the effectiveness of the eight-strain probiotic for primary prevention of pouchitis in patients with ulcerative colitis and IPAA and PSC.”
The study had no financial support. Syal reported receiving research support from Pfizer.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
, but its cost-effectiveness depends on relapse risk and may only be justified in patients who experience frequent relapses of pouchitis, a new analysis showed.
“Our findings highlight that while probiotic treatments can reduce the risk of this complication, their high costs limit their overall value for most patients,” lead author Gaurav Syal, MD, a gastroenterologist at UCLA Health, said in a statement.
“Our analysis can help guide shared decision-making between patients, clinicians, and payers to ensure resources are used where they can provide the most benefit,” Syal added.
The study was published online in Gastro Hep Advances.
Common Complication After Ulcerative Colitis Surgery
Pouchitis is a common complication in patients with ulcerative colitis who undergo restorative proctocolectomy with IPAA, with a cumulative incidence of around 48% at 2 years and 80% at 30 years.
Many patients who experience pouchitis have a single episode and respond well to short antibiotic courses. However, others develop recurrent or relapsing pouchitis, and 17% progress to a chronic form that can become dependent on antibiotics or refractory to antibiotics.
An eight-strain probiotic was shown to be effective in primary and secondary prevention of pouchitis in randomized, placebo-controlled trials.
Syal and colleagues sought to determine whether it’s worth the cost.
They constructed decision-tree models with Markov simulations to compare the risk for initial development and recurrence of pouchitis over a 2-year period between no prophylaxis and daily use of the eight-strain probiotic.
In the primary prophylaxis model, the cycle length was 2 weeks and pouchitis treatment sequence was ciprofloxacin, metronidazole and ciprofloxacin-tinidazole. In the secondary prophylaxis model, the cycle length was 4 weeks and pouchitis treatment sequence was initially the same as the primary prophylaxis model with the addition of vedolizumab and infliximab.
Costs were calculated from a US third-party payer perspective, using a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY).
For primary prevention, the probiotic slightly increased QALYs compared with no probiotic (0.927 vs 0.918) but at a far higher cost ($2223 vs $299), resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $236,076 per QALY — well above the accepted threshold.
In patients with infrequent relapses, probiotic use was slightly more effective than no use of probiotic (cumulative QALYs, 1.26 vs 1.24) but more expensive ($3370 vs $557), yielding an ICER of $153,011 per QALY — again above the accepted threshold.
However, sensitivity analyses revealed that the probiotic was cost-effective in patients with frequent relapsing pouchitis — defined as two or more episodes per year.
In this subgroup, the ICER dropped below the willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per QALY, and in some scenarios, the probiotic even became the dominant strategy, meaning it was both more effective and less costly than no prophylaxis, the researchers noted.
Current guidelines from AGA on managing pouchitis suggest using probiotics to prevent recurrent episodes of pouchitis with a caveat that those who experience infrequent episodes may choose to avoid secondary prevention strategies.
“Our findings supplement the guidelines by confirming that the eight-strain probiotics can be cost-effective in frequent relapsing not in infrequent relapsing pouchitis,” the authors wrote.
They also noted that the probiotic cost itself was the biggest driver of results, accounting for 95% of the total cost in the primary prevention model. According to their analysis, reducing its price by half could make it a cost-effective option more broadly.
They also noted that probiotic prophylaxis could be cost-effective for patients at higher-than-average risk, such as those with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), who have 4.2 times higher odds of developing pouchitis than peers without PSC.
But they cautioned that “further research is warranted on the effectiveness of the eight-strain probiotic for primary prevention of pouchitis in patients with ulcerative colitis and IPAA and PSC.”
The study had no financial support. Syal reported receiving research support from Pfizer.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
FROM GASTRO HEP ADVANCES
Military Background Shapes Eating Disorders in VA Oncology
Military Background Shapes Eating Disorders in VA Oncology
PHOENIX – Veterans are especially vulnerable to disordered eating because of their military backgrounds, a dietician warned US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oncology clinicians at the annual meeting of the Association of VA Hematology/Oncology. In fact, an estimated 15% to 25% of veterans meet diagnostic criteria for eating disorders.
“Their experience in the military probably has really shaped the way that they see weight and the stigma behind it,” said Emily Fasciana, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietician with the VA based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
When cancer appears, the risk of eating disorders goes up even more, she said. “If we don’t catch eating disorders early on, severe medical problems can occur. In the cancer population, they’re going through enough medical problems as it is.”
Here are things to know about eating disorders in oncology.
Military Life Can Produce a ‘Perfect Storm’ of Risk Factors
Tightly controlled eating environments and food deprivation are often routine in military life. Along with trauma, these can create a “perfect storm of risk factors for eating disorders,” Fasciana said.
During service, for example, “people often will eat as much as they can when they can, sometimes followed by days of not being able to eat,” she said. These are very much like disordered eating behaviors such as binge eating and restricting, and they can place veterans at greater risk.”
She described how service members can develop specific eating patterns during service, such as “midrats” – midnight rations – “meals served during midnight shifts that were the best meal served all day long that they had access to.”
“When I hear veterans who wake up in the middle of the night, and they’re eating, I ask: ‘Did they practice something similar during their military experience?’ They associate that time of the day with enjoyable comfort foods, and that’s what they go to now.”
Vets Can be Haunted by Stigma of Excess Weight
“Making weight” – meeting weight standards – is routine in the military. The pressure to remain under a certain level can have lasting effects on how veterans think about extra pounds, said Kaitlin Ohde, PhD, a clinical health psychologist with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle.
“I’ve heard some veterans tell me about getting kicked out of positions because of not being able to make weight. Then they carry this throughout their life, which is really sad,” Ohde said. “When they gain weight during treatment, sometimes it can be really bothersome for them.”
Regular weigh-ins can trouble patients, she said, so it’s important to explain to them why they’re getting on scales: “I’m getting your weight today because I want to see if this medication is doing XYZ.”
She advised colleagues to “make sure they explicitly know why we’re doing it [measuring weight], and how the things we’re using to treat them can impact their weight. This piece of the puzzle sometimes falls off the radar.”
Eating Disorders Can be Catastrophic in Cancer
Untreated eating disorders cause severe medical complications such as malnutrition, hormone dysregulation, low bone density or fractures, bradycardia, gastroparesis, and even anemia, Fasciana said.
There’s a New Category of Eating Disorder
Fasciana highlighted a condition that is underrecognized in oncology: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which refers to patients who stay away from certain foods but not because they’re worried about body image or weight gain. “Patients with ARFID are clinically distinct from those who have anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder,” she noted.
ARFID diagnosis requires food avoidance that leads to at least 1 of these consequences: significant weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, dependence on supplements or tube feeding, or psychosocial impairment.
“Veterans might have a gagging or retching reflex at the sight or smell of certain foods,” Fasciana explained. “They might have difficulty being in the presence of another person eating a nonpreferred food.”
Some cancer patients may be averse to foods of certain temperatures. “You might need to assess why they don’t like the temperature of that food. Why are those foods something that you can’t go to? Are they hurting your teeth? What are they doing to you?”
ARFID patients may also experience social withdrawal around eating. “With a lot of our head and neck cancer patients, especially those with oral cancers and those on feeding tubes, they might feel embarrassed to be around people while eating,” Fasciana said.
She highlighted a 2021 report about 4 cancer survivors with upper abdominal cancers who developed new-onset eating disorders with malnutrition resembling ARFID.
The patients experienced malabsorption, dumping syndrome, and excessive weight loss for 12 months postoperatively without classic body-image concerns. “This is a case example of how eating disorders can evolve in the oncology population,” Fasciana said.
The report said that none of the patients “returned to a healthy weight and/or healthy eating despite extensive team input… The outcomes were poor; 1 patient died, another required admission to a specialist eating disorder admission with a subsequent relapsing-remitting course, and the remaining 2 had complicated chronic courses.”
Treatment: Start With Screening, Then Reframe Thinking
Fasciana highlighted several screening tools, such as SCOFF, BREDS, and one for ARFID.
“Any screen is going to be better than no screen at all, and any question is going to be better than no question at all,” Fasciana said.
She cautioned that “veterans are not going to be so forthcoming about some of their struggles due to stigma and shame because of their past experiences in the military.”
As for therapy, psychological care may not be required, Ohde said. And it’s especially important to “listen to your patients about what they’re going through, and give them space to share.”
For those who could be helped by psychotherapy, she said, “sometimes I introduce it as therapy that can be really brief. Maybe you just need to talk to someone for a few sessions or just get some support around coping with this.”
One strategy is to focus on bringing enjoyment back to eating, she said. For some patients, “eating becomes a chore,” a task performed without joy, alone in a hospital room.
Fasciana emphasized asking questions over time, perhaps through multiple follow-ups, without expecting answers immediately. And she coaxes patients to consider what they hold dear. “I try to get them to think about the meaning that losing or gaining weight has for them, what their values are, and what really matters to them. I link it back to health, healing, and longevity of life.”
Fasciana and Ohde reported they had no disclosures.
PHOENIX – Veterans are especially vulnerable to disordered eating because of their military backgrounds, a dietician warned US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oncology clinicians at the annual meeting of the Association of VA Hematology/Oncology. In fact, an estimated 15% to 25% of veterans meet diagnostic criteria for eating disorders.
“Their experience in the military probably has really shaped the way that they see weight and the stigma behind it,” said Emily Fasciana, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietician with the VA based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
When cancer appears, the risk of eating disorders goes up even more, she said. “If we don’t catch eating disorders early on, severe medical problems can occur. In the cancer population, they’re going through enough medical problems as it is.”
Here are things to know about eating disorders in oncology.
Military Life Can Produce a ‘Perfect Storm’ of Risk Factors
Tightly controlled eating environments and food deprivation are often routine in military life. Along with trauma, these can create a “perfect storm of risk factors for eating disorders,” Fasciana said.
During service, for example, “people often will eat as much as they can when they can, sometimes followed by days of not being able to eat,” she said. These are very much like disordered eating behaviors such as binge eating and restricting, and they can place veterans at greater risk.”
She described how service members can develop specific eating patterns during service, such as “midrats” – midnight rations – “meals served during midnight shifts that were the best meal served all day long that they had access to.”
“When I hear veterans who wake up in the middle of the night, and they’re eating, I ask: ‘Did they practice something similar during their military experience?’ They associate that time of the day with enjoyable comfort foods, and that’s what they go to now.”
Vets Can be Haunted by Stigma of Excess Weight
“Making weight” – meeting weight standards – is routine in the military. The pressure to remain under a certain level can have lasting effects on how veterans think about extra pounds, said Kaitlin Ohde, PhD, a clinical health psychologist with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle.
“I’ve heard some veterans tell me about getting kicked out of positions because of not being able to make weight. Then they carry this throughout their life, which is really sad,” Ohde said. “When they gain weight during treatment, sometimes it can be really bothersome for them.”
Regular weigh-ins can trouble patients, she said, so it’s important to explain to them why they’re getting on scales: “I’m getting your weight today because I want to see if this medication is doing XYZ.”
She advised colleagues to “make sure they explicitly know why we’re doing it [measuring weight], and how the things we’re using to treat them can impact their weight. This piece of the puzzle sometimes falls off the radar.”
Eating Disorders Can be Catastrophic in Cancer
Untreated eating disorders cause severe medical complications such as malnutrition, hormone dysregulation, low bone density or fractures, bradycardia, gastroparesis, and even anemia, Fasciana said.
There’s a New Category of Eating Disorder
Fasciana highlighted a condition that is underrecognized in oncology: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which refers to patients who stay away from certain foods but not because they’re worried about body image or weight gain. “Patients with ARFID are clinically distinct from those who have anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder,” she noted.
ARFID diagnosis requires food avoidance that leads to at least 1 of these consequences: significant weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, dependence on supplements or tube feeding, or psychosocial impairment.
“Veterans might have a gagging or retching reflex at the sight or smell of certain foods,” Fasciana explained. “They might have difficulty being in the presence of another person eating a nonpreferred food.”
Some cancer patients may be averse to foods of certain temperatures. “You might need to assess why they don’t like the temperature of that food. Why are those foods something that you can’t go to? Are they hurting your teeth? What are they doing to you?”
ARFID patients may also experience social withdrawal around eating. “With a lot of our head and neck cancer patients, especially those with oral cancers and those on feeding tubes, they might feel embarrassed to be around people while eating,” Fasciana said.
She highlighted a 2021 report about 4 cancer survivors with upper abdominal cancers who developed new-onset eating disorders with malnutrition resembling ARFID.
The patients experienced malabsorption, dumping syndrome, and excessive weight loss for 12 months postoperatively without classic body-image concerns. “This is a case example of how eating disorders can evolve in the oncology population,” Fasciana said.
The report said that none of the patients “returned to a healthy weight and/or healthy eating despite extensive team input… The outcomes were poor; 1 patient died, another required admission to a specialist eating disorder admission with a subsequent relapsing-remitting course, and the remaining 2 had complicated chronic courses.”
Treatment: Start With Screening, Then Reframe Thinking
Fasciana highlighted several screening tools, such as SCOFF, BREDS, and one for ARFID.
“Any screen is going to be better than no screen at all, and any question is going to be better than no question at all,” Fasciana said.
She cautioned that “veterans are not going to be so forthcoming about some of their struggles due to stigma and shame because of their past experiences in the military.”
As for therapy, psychological care may not be required, Ohde said. And it’s especially important to “listen to your patients about what they’re going through, and give them space to share.”
For those who could be helped by psychotherapy, she said, “sometimes I introduce it as therapy that can be really brief. Maybe you just need to talk to someone for a few sessions or just get some support around coping with this.”
One strategy is to focus on bringing enjoyment back to eating, she said. For some patients, “eating becomes a chore,” a task performed without joy, alone in a hospital room.
Fasciana emphasized asking questions over time, perhaps through multiple follow-ups, without expecting answers immediately. And she coaxes patients to consider what they hold dear. “I try to get them to think about the meaning that losing or gaining weight has for them, what their values are, and what really matters to them. I link it back to health, healing, and longevity of life.”
Fasciana and Ohde reported they had no disclosures.
PHOENIX – Veterans are especially vulnerable to disordered eating because of their military backgrounds, a dietician warned US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) oncology clinicians at the annual meeting of the Association of VA Hematology/Oncology. In fact, an estimated 15% to 25% of veterans meet diagnostic criteria for eating disorders.
“Their experience in the military probably has really shaped the way that they see weight and the stigma behind it,” said Emily Fasciana, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietician with the VA based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
When cancer appears, the risk of eating disorders goes up even more, she said. “If we don’t catch eating disorders early on, severe medical problems can occur. In the cancer population, they’re going through enough medical problems as it is.”
Here are things to know about eating disorders in oncology.
Military Life Can Produce a ‘Perfect Storm’ of Risk Factors
Tightly controlled eating environments and food deprivation are often routine in military life. Along with trauma, these can create a “perfect storm of risk factors for eating disorders,” Fasciana said.
During service, for example, “people often will eat as much as they can when they can, sometimes followed by days of not being able to eat,” she said. These are very much like disordered eating behaviors such as binge eating and restricting, and they can place veterans at greater risk.”
She described how service members can develop specific eating patterns during service, such as “midrats” – midnight rations – “meals served during midnight shifts that were the best meal served all day long that they had access to.”
“When I hear veterans who wake up in the middle of the night, and they’re eating, I ask: ‘Did they practice something similar during their military experience?’ They associate that time of the day with enjoyable comfort foods, and that’s what they go to now.”
Vets Can be Haunted by Stigma of Excess Weight
“Making weight” – meeting weight standards – is routine in the military. The pressure to remain under a certain level can have lasting effects on how veterans think about extra pounds, said Kaitlin Ohde, PhD, a clinical health psychologist with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle.
“I’ve heard some veterans tell me about getting kicked out of positions because of not being able to make weight. Then they carry this throughout their life, which is really sad,” Ohde said. “When they gain weight during treatment, sometimes it can be really bothersome for them.”
Regular weigh-ins can trouble patients, she said, so it’s important to explain to them why they’re getting on scales: “I’m getting your weight today because I want to see if this medication is doing XYZ.”
She advised colleagues to “make sure they explicitly know why we’re doing it [measuring weight], and how the things we’re using to treat them can impact their weight. This piece of the puzzle sometimes falls off the radar.”
Eating Disorders Can be Catastrophic in Cancer
Untreated eating disorders cause severe medical complications such as malnutrition, hormone dysregulation, low bone density or fractures, bradycardia, gastroparesis, and even anemia, Fasciana said.
There’s a New Category of Eating Disorder
Fasciana highlighted a condition that is underrecognized in oncology: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which refers to patients who stay away from certain foods but not because they’re worried about body image or weight gain. “Patients with ARFID are clinically distinct from those who have anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder,” she noted.
ARFID diagnosis requires food avoidance that leads to at least 1 of these consequences: significant weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, dependence on supplements or tube feeding, or psychosocial impairment.
“Veterans might have a gagging or retching reflex at the sight or smell of certain foods,” Fasciana explained. “They might have difficulty being in the presence of another person eating a nonpreferred food.”
Some cancer patients may be averse to foods of certain temperatures. “You might need to assess why they don’t like the temperature of that food. Why are those foods something that you can’t go to? Are they hurting your teeth? What are they doing to you?”
ARFID patients may also experience social withdrawal around eating. “With a lot of our head and neck cancer patients, especially those with oral cancers and those on feeding tubes, they might feel embarrassed to be around people while eating,” Fasciana said.
She highlighted a 2021 report about 4 cancer survivors with upper abdominal cancers who developed new-onset eating disorders with malnutrition resembling ARFID.
The patients experienced malabsorption, dumping syndrome, and excessive weight loss for 12 months postoperatively without classic body-image concerns. “This is a case example of how eating disorders can evolve in the oncology population,” Fasciana said.
The report said that none of the patients “returned to a healthy weight and/or healthy eating despite extensive team input… The outcomes were poor; 1 patient died, another required admission to a specialist eating disorder admission with a subsequent relapsing-remitting course, and the remaining 2 had complicated chronic courses.”
Treatment: Start With Screening, Then Reframe Thinking
Fasciana highlighted several screening tools, such as SCOFF, BREDS, and one for ARFID.
“Any screen is going to be better than no screen at all, and any question is going to be better than no question at all,” Fasciana said.
She cautioned that “veterans are not going to be so forthcoming about some of their struggles due to stigma and shame because of their past experiences in the military.”
As for therapy, psychological care may not be required, Ohde said. And it’s especially important to “listen to your patients about what they’re going through, and give them space to share.”
For those who could be helped by psychotherapy, she said, “sometimes I introduce it as therapy that can be really brief. Maybe you just need to talk to someone for a few sessions or just get some support around coping with this.”
One strategy is to focus on bringing enjoyment back to eating, she said. For some patients, “eating becomes a chore,” a task performed without joy, alone in a hospital room.
Fasciana emphasized asking questions over time, perhaps through multiple follow-ups, without expecting answers immediately. And she coaxes patients to consider what they hold dear. “I try to get them to think about the meaning that losing or gaining weight has for them, what their values are, and what really matters to them. I link it back to health, healing, and longevity of life.”
Fasciana and Ohde reported they had no disclosures.
Military Background Shapes Eating Disorders in VA Oncology
Military Background Shapes Eating Disorders in VA Oncology
Helicobacter pylori May Shift Gastric Cancer Earlier
Helicobacter pylori May Shift Gastric Cancer Earlier
ORLANDO, Fl — , new data suggested.
H pylori infection is a leading risk factor for gastric carcinoma, accounting for as many as 90% of cases. As the new data show, failure to screen routinely for the bacteria could be leading to younger people developing easily preventable forms of gastric cancer, experts said.
“The most concerning and the most interesting finding for us was we found higher prevalence” of gastric cancer linked to H pylori in the younger group, Neel Patel, MD, MPH, with the Department of Pathology at Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island, New York, told GI & Hepatology News.
“This does not mean most patients are young. Rather, it means H pylori increases the likelihood of gastric cancer appearing earlier in life compared with non-H pylori cases.”
For the study, Patel and his colleagues, who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) 2025, used 2016-2020 data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, which included records for adults with primary diagnoses of gastric cancer. They looked at outcomes of those whose cancer was associated with H pylori compared with the non-H pylori group.
Among 91,670 adult hospitalizations, 1830 (2%) had gastric cancer linked to H pylori (2016-2020). Patel said the low percentage resulted from focusing solely on diagnostic codes for primary diagnoses of gastric cancer and excluding secondary diagnoses.
These cancers were twice as prevalent in patients aged 18-49 years (3.97%) as in those older than 65 years (1.65%).
Septicemia Odds Higher in H pylori Group
Patients in the H pylori group also had a higher burden of comorbidities such as anemia, chronic blood loss, and metastatic cancer, according to the data. The researcher found these patients also had significantly higher odds of septicemia (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.17-2.24; P = .003) and spent an average of 8 days in the hospital — two more than those with cancers not associated with the infection.
Dipti M. Karamchandani, MD, a professor of pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who was not part of the study, said the longer hospital stays and greater risk for septicemia may be related to increased comorbidities among people who get H pylori infection in general. The infection often is caused by unsanitary conditions, and the groups infected may also be more likely to experience malnutrition, anemia, or lower body reserves, for example, she said.
“Also, H pylori often causes gastric ulcers, even before causing cancer, and those patients may be prone to chronic blood loss,” Karamchandani said. “These are all reasons that these patients may be more prone to longer hospital stay.”
US Guidelines Lacking
H pylori infection is a strong predictor of gastric cancer, but it often goes undetected. “Sometimes we ignore the symptoms,” Patel said.
“There are no standard guidelines for screening for H pylori,” he added. “We need to stop the transition from H pylori to gastric cancer.”
“This abstract highlights an important issue: Gastric cancer is rising among younger adults in the US, particularly in noncardia gastric cancer, which is most often associated with Helicobacter pylori infection,” said Chul S. Hyun, MD, PhD, MPH, director of the Gastric Cancer Prevention and Screening Program at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
Hyun said the 2% of patients in the study diagnosed with gastric cancer associated with H pylori likely reflected undercoding and “incomplete capture” in the database and noted that subgroup comparisons “become difficult to interpret reliably.” By extension, the findings also underscore, “We are not adequately capturing H pylori in routine US coding and claims.”
“What we do know is that H pylori is the central, modifiable driver of risk, and that prevention efforts should focus on high prevalence populations — including Asian, Hispanic, and immigrant communities — where systematic H pylori screening remains a major unmet need,” said Hyun, who was not involved in the new research.
Currently no US society guideline recommends systematic screening, Hyun said. “Other high-incidence countries, such as Japan and Korea, already incorporate H pylori and gastroscopy screening into national policy,” he said. “For these reasons, guidelines urgently need to evolve to recommend targeted H pylori screening in high prevalence groups.”
Patel, Karamchandani, and Hyun reported having no relevant financial conflicts of interest.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
ORLANDO, Fl — , new data suggested.
H pylori infection is a leading risk factor for gastric carcinoma, accounting for as many as 90% of cases. As the new data show, failure to screen routinely for the bacteria could be leading to younger people developing easily preventable forms of gastric cancer, experts said.
“The most concerning and the most interesting finding for us was we found higher prevalence” of gastric cancer linked to H pylori in the younger group, Neel Patel, MD, MPH, with the Department of Pathology at Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island, New York, told GI & Hepatology News.
“This does not mean most patients are young. Rather, it means H pylori increases the likelihood of gastric cancer appearing earlier in life compared with non-H pylori cases.”
For the study, Patel and his colleagues, who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) 2025, used 2016-2020 data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, which included records for adults with primary diagnoses of gastric cancer. They looked at outcomes of those whose cancer was associated with H pylori compared with the non-H pylori group.
Among 91,670 adult hospitalizations, 1830 (2%) had gastric cancer linked to H pylori (2016-2020). Patel said the low percentage resulted from focusing solely on diagnostic codes for primary diagnoses of gastric cancer and excluding secondary diagnoses.
These cancers were twice as prevalent in patients aged 18-49 years (3.97%) as in those older than 65 years (1.65%).
Septicemia Odds Higher in H pylori Group
Patients in the H pylori group also had a higher burden of comorbidities such as anemia, chronic blood loss, and metastatic cancer, according to the data. The researcher found these patients also had significantly higher odds of septicemia (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.17-2.24; P = .003) and spent an average of 8 days in the hospital — two more than those with cancers not associated with the infection.
Dipti M. Karamchandani, MD, a professor of pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who was not part of the study, said the longer hospital stays and greater risk for septicemia may be related to increased comorbidities among people who get H pylori infection in general. The infection often is caused by unsanitary conditions, and the groups infected may also be more likely to experience malnutrition, anemia, or lower body reserves, for example, she said.
“Also, H pylori often causes gastric ulcers, even before causing cancer, and those patients may be prone to chronic blood loss,” Karamchandani said. “These are all reasons that these patients may be more prone to longer hospital stay.”
US Guidelines Lacking
H pylori infection is a strong predictor of gastric cancer, but it often goes undetected. “Sometimes we ignore the symptoms,” Patel said.
“There are no standard guidelines for screening for H pylori,” he added. “We need to stop the transition from H pylori to gastric cancer.”
“This abstract highlights an important issue: Gastric cancer is rising among younger adults in the US, particularly in noncardia gastric cancer, which is most often associated with Helicobacter pylori infection,” said Chul S. Hyun, MD, PhD, MPH, director of the Gastric Cancer Prevention and Screening Program at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
Hyun said the 2% of patients in the study diagnosed with gastric cancer associated with H pylori likely reflected undercoding and “incomplete capture” in the database and noted that subgroup comparisons “become difficult to interpret reliably.” By extension, the findings also underscore, “We are not adequately capturing H pylori in routine US coding and claims.”
“What we do know is that H pylori is the central, modifiable driver of risk, and that prevention efforts should focus on high prevalence populations — including Asian, Hispanic, and immigrant communities — where systematic H pylori screening remains a major unmet need,” said Hyun, who was not involved in the new research.
Currently no US society guideline recommends systematic screening, Hyun said. “Other high-incidence countries, such as Japan and Korea, already incorporate H pylori and gastroscopy screening into national policy,” he said. “For these reasons, guidelines urgently need to evolve to recommend targeted H pylori screening in high prevalence groups.”
Patel, Karamchandani, and Hyun reported having no relevant financial conflicts of interest.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
ORLANDO, Fl — , new data suggested.
H pylori infection is a leading risk factor for gastric carcinoma, accounting for as many as 90% of cases. As the new data show, failure to screen routinely for the bacteria could be leading to younger people developing easily preventable forms of gastric cancer, experts said.
“The most concerning and the most interesting finding for us was we found higher prevalence” of gastric cancer linked to H pylori in the younger group, Neel Patel, MD, MPH, with the Department of Pathology at Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island, New York, told GI & Hepatology News.
“This does not mean most patients are young. Rather, it means H pylori increases the likelihood of gastric cancer appearing earlier in life compared with non-H pylori cases.”
For the study, Patel and his colleagues, who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) 2025, used 2016-2020 data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, which included records for adults with primary diagnoses of gastric cancer. They looked at outcomes of those whose cancer was associated with H pylori compared with the non-H pylori group.
Among 91,670 adult hospitalizations, 1830 (2%) had gastric cancer linked to H pylori (2016-2020). Patel said the low percentage resulted from focusing solely on diagnostic codes for primary diagnoses of gastric cancer and excluding secondary diagnoses.
These cancers were twice as prevalent in patients aged 18-49 years (3.97%) as in those older than 65 years (1.65%).
Septicemia Odds Higher in H pylori Group
Patients in the H pylori group also had a higher burden of comorbidities such as anemia, chronic blood loss, and metastatic cancer, according to the data. The researcher found these patients also had significantly higher odds of septicemia (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.17-2.24; P = .003) and spent an average of 8 days in the hospital — two more than those with cancers not associated with the infection.
Dipti M. Karamchandani, MD, a professor of pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who was not part of the study, said the longer hospital stays and greater risk for septicemia may be related to increased comorbidities among people who get H pylori infection in general. The infection often is caused by unsanitary conditions, and the groups infected may also be more likely to experience malnutrition, anemia, or lower body reserves, for example, she said.
“Also, H pylori often causes gastric ulcers, even before causing cancer, and those patients may be prone to chronic blood loss,” Karamchandani said. “These are all reasons that these patients may be more prone to longer hospital stay.”
US Guidelines Lacking
H pylori infection is a strong predictor of gastric cancer, but it often goes undetected. “Sometimes we ignore the symptoms,” Patel said.
“There are no standard guidelines for screening for H pylori,” he added. “We need to stop the transition from H pylori to gastric cancer.”
“This abstract highlights an important issue: Gastric cancer is rising among younger adults in the US, particularly in noncardia gastric cancer, which is most often associated with Helicobacter pylori infection,” said Chul S. Hyun, MD, PhD, MPH, director of the Gastric Cancer Prevention and Screening Program at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
Hyun said the 2% of patients in the study diagnosed with gastric cancer associated with H pylori likely reflected undercoding and “incomplete capture” in the database and noted that subgroup comparisons “become difficult to interpret reliably.” By extension, the findings also underscore, “We are not adequately capturing H pylori in routine US coding and claims.”
“What we do know is that H pylori is the central, modifiable driver of risk, and that prevention efforts should focus on high prevalence populations — including Asian, Hispanic, and immigrant communities — where systematic H pylori screening remains a major unmet need,” said Hyun, who was not involved in the new research.
Currently no US society guideline recommends systematic screening, Hyun said. “Other high-incidence countries, such as Japan and Korea, already incorporate H pylori and gastroscopy screening into national policy,” he said. “For these reasons, guidelines urgently need to evolve to recommend targeted H pylori screening in high prevalence groups.”
Patel, Karamchandani, and Hyun reported having no relevant financial conflicts of interest.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Helicobacter pylori May Shift Gastric Cancer Earlier
Helicobacter pylori May Shift Gastric Cancer Earlier