Induction and Maintenance Infliximab Therapy for the Treatment of Crohn's Disease with Perianal Fistulas in Children: Retrospective, Multicenter Study

Background. Infliximab is a biological drug used for the treatment of Crohn's disease in children. Objectives. The aim of this retrospective study was the estimation of effectiveness and safety of infliximab in the treatment of Crohn's disease with perianal fistulas in children. Material and Methods. Analysis comprised 50 children with Crohn's disease with perianal fistulas aged 9 to 18 years (16 girls and 34 boys) who failed to respond to conventional therapy. The children were divided into two groups: the first group contained 23 children with simple fistulas and the second - 27 children with complex fistulas. All children were treated with infliximab, administered in the dose of 5 mg per kilogram of the body mass. In the induction phase infliximab was administered at weeks 0, 2 and 6 and after clinical response in maintenance phase the drug was administered every 8 weeks; together for 12 months. Results. In 76% of children after induction therapy with infliximab and in 71.87% after maintenance therapy the complete closure of fistula occurred. During the first year after the treatment a recurrence of a fistula was observed in 30.43% of the children. In two children anaphylactic shock was observed during injection of infliximab. The remaining children tolerated the drug well. Conclusions. The treatment with infliximab was effective in the majority of fistulazing Crohn's disease and caused the closure of perianal fistula which improved quality of life.