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In Poland, there are few data concerning the epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. However, since 2009 the National Health Fund (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia), the sole public-health insurer in Poland, has been running an electronic database of health services that comprises individually reported data claimed to the payer by service providers. We therefore draw on that source in this article, in order to estimate the prevalence and incidence of the disease in respect of cases assigned a K50 or K51 diagnosis under the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). On this basis, we were able to demonstrate a substantial increase in the disease burden over the years 2009-2020. We believe these data are of importance at the national level, and may also prove useful as the changing epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease in Europe is analyzed.

To the best of our knowledge, this article is the first to describe the population of Polish patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and treated with innovative biologic drugs, which are the best treatment options known for patients with moderate to severe disease courses. Using administrative data, we estimate and discuss the significant differences in the use of biologic drugs across different regions of the country. We also show a higher treatment rate for men, compared to women, as well as a high and growing rate for the youngest population. Access to modern therapies is crucial for improving quality of life for the substantially growing population of IBD patients. We believe our work will be a helpful reference for evaluating the current situation of those patients and for predicting future demands.

(1) Background: The use of virtual reality (VR) in improving patient comfort related to medical procedures in oncology patients raised the question of whether similar benefits could be obtained by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). (2) Methods: In this prospective, randomized, controlled, single-center clinical trial, a total of 90 patients with IBD treated with vedolizumab were enrolled and randomized in a 1:1 allocation to either the VR immersion group or the routine-treated group. The primary outcome was to evaluate whether VR could decrease stress and anxiety related to a medical procedure. The secondary outcome was to assess the safety of the VR. (3) Results: A statistically significant improvement in well-being and psychological comfort (p = 0.046), feeling of relaxation (p = 0.046), sense of influence on the treatment process (p < 0.001), improved perception of the way the drug works (p < 0.001), improved positive attitude while waiting for the next administration of the drug (p = 0.026), and increased motivation for treatment (p = 0.026) was noticed in the intervention group. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of complications in the intervention and control groups. (4) Conclusions: The use of VR had a positive effect on the reduction of stress associated with vedolizumab treatment and could improve compliance.

Background The number of patients in Poland diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD) has been increasing in the last decade, which implies an increase in the number of severe cases, where biologic treatment is required. The aim of this study was to analyse the usage of biologic treatment among patients with both types of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in Poland that was reimbursed by the National Health Fund (NFZ) in 2020. Methods The analysis was conducted using administrative data collected since the year 2009 by the National Health Fund (NFZ), the only public payer in Poland. We defined an IBD patient receiving biologic treatment as a patient: (1) who had at least two inpatient/outpatient records in the NFZ registry in the years 2009 – 2020 with ICD10 code K50/K51 assigned; (2) who had filled at least two prescriptions for IBD medications two months apart or who had undergone intestinal surgery prior to the record; (3) and who received biological treatment reimbursed by the NFZ in 2020. We assessed the total percentage of patients with each diagnosis who received biologic treatment as well as the percentage by sex, by age group and by the place of residence (voivodeship). Results In 2020, the percentage of patients treated with biologic agents in the population of CD patients was 7.9% (1 863 / 23 574). The percentage of patients treated with biologic agents in the population of UC patients was 1.6% (1 174/73 235). The rate of patients treated with biologics for both CD and UC was significantly lower in women than in men (p&lt;0,001 for both). Among all age groups, the highest percentage of patients receiving biologic treatment for both CD and UC (21,7% and 6,5%, respectively) was observed in those aged 10–19 years and the lowest percentage in patients aged over 70 years (0,8% for CD, 0,2% for UC). The highest proportion of patients treated with biologic drugs among CD patients was found in the Mazovian Voivodeship (13.8%) and the lowest - in the Lubusz Voivodeship (1.2%). In UC, the highest biologic treatment rate was observed in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (3.1%), and the lowest in the Lubusz Voivodeship and the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (both 0.2%). Conclusion The use of biologic agents in the treatment of both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in Poland has been presented. Female patients receive biologic treatment for IBD significantly less frequently than male. The highest proportion of patients receiving biologic treatment for both CD and UC was found in the paediatric population. There are voivodeships in Poland where the access to biological treatment is unacceptably low.

Background The epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Poland has only been recognised to a limited extent. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of the disease by analysing data from the National Health Fund, the sole public health insurer. Methods Administrative health claims collected over the 2009–2020 period were used to identify patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). A definition of a case comprised ≥2 records assigned K50 or K51 codes, plus ≥2 prescriptions for IBD drugs reimbursed, or else intestinal surgery preceding the record. The crude and European age-standardised rates (EASR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the prevalence and incidence. Time trends were also analysed. Results As of 2020 there were 23,574 patients with CD and 73,235 with UC. The CD and UC prevalence was respectively 61.6 [EASR 60.3 (95% CI 59.5–61.0)] and 191.4 [EASR 187.85 (95% CI 186.5–189.2)] per 100,000. The prevalence of CD was higher in men [64.1; EASR 61.3 (95% CI 60.2–62.5)] than in women [59.3; EASR 58.4 (95% CI 57.3-59,5)]. Similarly, the prevalence of UC was higher in men [201.4; EASR 202.7 (95% CI 200.5–204.8)] than in women [182.0; EASR 175.5 (95% CI 173.7–177. 4)]. The incidence of CD was 4.7 per 100 000 [EASR 4.6 (95% CI 4.4–4.8)], while of UC 12.5 [EASR 12.3 (95%CI 12.0–12.7)]. Through the period 2012–2018, the prevalence of both conditions rose, even as downward trends were noted for disease incidence. Conclusion The prevalence and incidence of IBD in Poland are presented, with time trends showing substantial increase in the disease burden over the years 2009–2020.

Background According to the international recommendations, patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) should be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 at the earliest opportunity to do so. The aim of this study was to assess the morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 in the adult IBD population in Poland with respect to their vaccination status. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of administrative health claims collected by the National Health Fund, the sole public payer in Poland. We identified adult IBD patients as of December 31th, 2021 who had at least two or more records with K50 or K51 code and two or more prescriptions for IBD drugs reimbursed or else intestinal surgery preceding the record. The vaccination status in 2021 was assessed using the database maintained by the Ministry of Health. We examined the vaccination process against SARS-CoV-2 among IBD patients along with morbidity and mortality from COVID-19. We conducted a Cox proportional hazard model analysis to determine the hazard ratio of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization and death in respect to the vaccination status during the autumn wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (October–December 2021). Results As of December 31th, 2021 there were 93 068 adult patients diagnosed with IBD. The vaccination rate in IBD patients was significantly higher than in the general population of Poland (72.1% vs 63.8%; p&lt;0.001) and grew with age, reaching the top value among those aged 70-79 years (88.2%) [Figure 1]. 87 353 IBD patients were included into the Cox proportional hazard analysis of autumn pandemic wave, during which there were 4 042 registered COVID-19 cases in IBD population. The peak value of a weekly average of incidence rate of COVID-19 was lower for vaccinated IBD patients (7.4/10000) than for unvaccinated ones (13.0/10000). The risk of being infected was significantly lower for vaccinated IBD patients (HR 0.53; 95%CI 0.5-0.57; p&lt;0.001). The cumulative risk of being positively tested for COVID-19 shows Figure 2. The most notable protective effect of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 was found in patients aged 60-69 years (HR 0.47; 95%CI 0.39-0.55) and in those aged 80 years and above (HR 0.44; 95%CI 0.32-0.63). The risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 was also significantly lower among the vaccinated IBD patients (HR 0.48; 95%CI 0.31-0.74, p&lt;0.0001). The risk of death due to COVID-19 was more than 3 times decreased in vaccinated IBD patients in comparison to the remaining IBD population (HR 0.29, 95%CI 0.17-0.43, p&lt;0.001) [Table 1]. Conclusion Adult patients with IBD were more likely to get vaccinated against SARS-COV-2 than adults in the general population of Poland. The vaccination significantly decreased the risk of the infection, hospitalization and death due to COVID-19.