IBD Drugs and Heart Attacks; AI Finds Occult Pancreatic Cancer; Managing Hemorrhoids

In a Medicare population with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), no higher risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes was observed for patients taking immunomodulators or biologics versus 5-aminosalicylic acid. (JAMA Network Open)

Meanwhile, an IBD study looking at serious infections with advanced therapies found that patients on JAK inhibitors had the highest risk, while risk was lowest for those on ustekinumab (Stelara). (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

In a retrospective study, ulcerative colitis patients who stopped taking thiopurines after starting a TNF inhibitor had a higher risk of adverse clinical events such as new corticosteroid use or hospitalization, an association not observed among patients with Crohn’s disease. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

The Rome Foundation and International Organization for the Study of IBD issued joint recommendations for the evaluation and management of IBD with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like symptoms. (Gastroenterology)

Greater physical activity was linked with a lower likelihood of IBS in a large real-world study. (American Journal of Gastroenterology)

An FDA-cleared anally inserted device for fecal incontinence (FI) failed to significantly reduce FI severity versus usual care in a small randomized trial in the Netherlands, though it was associated with better quality of life in some FI-specific domains. (JAMA Network Open)

A randomized trial found that bowel management alone is effective as a first-line intervention for reducing daytime urinary incontinence in children with bladder and bowel dysfunction. (JAMA Network Open)

An artificial intelligence (AI) model detected pancreatic cancer at its visually occult pre-diagnostic stage. (Gut)

Can machine learning improve 30-day mortality prediction in emergency department patients who present with gastrointestinal bleeding? (Gastro Hep Advances)

In patients with type 2 diabetes and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, those on both a GLP-1 agonist and an SGLT2 inhibitor had lower risks for major liver or cardiovascular events compared to patients on just one of the two drugs. (Hepatology)

Patients with the bilirubin-dominant phenotype of severe alcohol-associated hepatitis had a higher mortality risk at 90 days, a retrospective single-center study suggested. (Gastro Hep Advances)

Global deaths associated with hepatitis B and C reached 1.3 million in 2024, according to a World Health Organization report that says more progress in eliminating viral hepatitis is needed to meet 2030 targets.

The American Gastroenterological Association published a clinical practice update on managing hemorrhoids. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

A large study of U.S. veterans found that up to one in four already had cirrhosis at the time of a primary biliary cholangitis diagnosis. (Gastro Hep Advances)