Consecutive inclusion of patients hospitalized at North Zealand University Hospital (NOH) in
Denmark between December 2019 and June 2020 with the diagnosis acute severe Ulcerative
Colitis (UC) (expected 14-28 patients). The included patients will be matched with historical
controls 1:3 (matched on age and sex). Controls will be extracted from medical records
(2015-2019). Only historical controls who meet the inclusion criteria as well as receive
Infliximab rescue therapy, when admitted to hospital due to the diagnosis acute severe UC,
are included. This means that patients, who are responders to high dose glucocorticoids are
excluded as historical controls.
At Day 0 all the included UC patients will receive an introduction and their own personal
login to the Constant-Care (CC) web-application (Two Factor Authentication) as well as
receive standard treatment with IV glucocorticoids. When the patients have received an
introduction to CC, they will register their disease activity; Simple Clinical Colitis
Activity index (SCCAI). This tool captures the patient's illness experience (Patient-Reported
Outcomes, PROs). Furthermore, the patients are introduced and assisted with Fecal
Calprotectin (FC) testing kit (CalproSmart). For this analysis, patients will receive a
personal login to CalproSmart.
Beside the CC monitoring initiated at Day 0, the patient will be followed through standard
monitoring (DSGH guidelines) such as vital parameters daily (minimum three times a day),
conventional FC Elisa (send to Hvidovre), blood samples and the frequency of bowel movements.
In addition, fecal samples will be collected from all patients to microbiome analysis for
future use (I Suite nr: 03719, ID no: NOH-2015-017). A separate written informed consent is
collected when patient want to participate in future research with microbiome analysis.
Furthermore, the patients' medical history, disease course and Montreal classification will
be examined. At follow-up (week 52) it is considered if the patient had a colectomy.
While hospitalized patients register in CC everyday as well as perform the FC test with
CalproSmart. This is continued until discharge or whenever the patient is categorized as
"green". A patient is classified as "green" when either SCCAI or FC are in the green zone
(cut-off values: SCCAI; ≤ 2 (green), > 2 - 5 (yellow) and > 5 (red), FC; ≤ 200 mg/kg (green),
201-600 mg/kg (yellow), > 600 (red)).
On or around Day 3 it is considered if patient is a responder to the initial treatment with
glucocorticoids. In case only partial or no response is observed the patient is considered
rescue therapy (Infliximab, IFX) if no contraindications are present. This divides the
patients in two arms; responders and partial/non-responders.
Both groups will continue daily registration in CC and perform FC test while admitted to
hospital or until classified as "green". After discharge the responder group will register in
CC and perform FC on demand in case of relapse in disease. At follow up (week 52) responders
will register in CC and perform the FC test.
Partial/non-responders will, after discharge, register in CC and perform FC test once every
week in the following 7 weeks. Afterwards registration is done on demand in case of relapse
in disease. A final registration in CC and FC test is done at follow up.
In CC, patients will register: SCCAI, S-IBDQ, WEB-DI and FC via CalproSmart.