Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
Cure8 research brief
Why This Matters
This study suggests that using 5‑ASA drugs early in children with Crohn’s disease was common but linked to more steroid use, delayed biologic treatment, and lower biologic durability — outcomes that matter for long‑term disease control and side effects.
It supports avoiding 5‑ASA monotherapy in pediatric Crohn’s and considering early anti‑TNF therapy when indicated.
Who Should Pay Attention
Pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease and their parents/caregivers; pediatric gastroenterologists and IBD clinicians; clinicians deciding initial therapy strategies; researchers studying pediatric IBD treatment outcomes.
Study Snapshot
Story typeResearch paper
Evidence typeResearch paper
Source depthJournal abstract
What To Know
This abstract reports a prospective, multicenter inception cohort (the BISCUIT study) of 679 pediatric Crohn’s disease patients examining early therapy choices (within 90 days of diagnosis): biologics (anti‑TNF), immunomodulators, 5‑ASA (aminosalicylates), or none. About 18% started on 5‑ASA monotherapy.
Compared with early biologic use, early 5‑ASA was associated with more systemic corticosteroid use, delayed time to starting biologics (median ~11 months), and among those who later escalated, higher risk of biologic discontinuation. Early anti‑TNF therapy was associated with lower odds of developing perianal disease.
The authors conclude 5‑ASA represents undertreatment in pediatric CD and recommend avoiding it in favor of earlier anti‑TNF treatment to reduce steroid exposure and perianal complications.
Practical tone: This study suggests that beginning treatment with 5‑ASA in children newly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease was common but linked to worse outcomes compared with starting biologics early.
The results come from a purpose-built cohort and used statistical weighting to adjust for baseline differences, but the findings are from observational data rather than a randomized trial. Key limitations to
Keep In Mind
This is a prospective, multicenter observational cohort (abstract-level summary). Because it is not a randomized trial, treatment selection could reflect unmeasured differences in disease severity or clinician judgment. The abstract reports adjusted analyses but full-text review is needed for detailed methods, subgroup analyses, and absolute risk estimates.
Source Details
Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.
Research paper
Evidence type derived from source or registry metadata.
PublicationClinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
AuthorsPerseus V Patel, Jonathan Moses, Sabina Ali +7 more
InstitutionDivision of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA.
Study typeJournal article
Indexed viaPubMed
Source typeResearch paper
PublishedAug 21, 2026, 12:00 AM
Content availableJournal abstract
This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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