Changes in surgery rates among hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease in Japan from 2015 to 2019: A nationwide administrative database analysis

Abstract Background and Aim Treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consisting of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), has advanced with the application of biologics or Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi); however, some patients still need surgery. We assessed time trends of surgery and biologics or JAKi variety in Japan. Methods Patients hospitalized due to IBD were analyzed using Diagnosis Procedure Combination data between 2015 and 2019. Longitudinal trend analysis was performed for demographics, and interrupted time‐series analysis was performed to examine the association between surgery rates and an increase in the types of biologics or JAKi. Results Totally, 37 867 cases with UC and 35 493 cases with CD were analyzed. Over 5 years, the surgery rate decreased in both UC and CD. The proportion of biologics and JAKi usage increased in UC and stabilized in CD. Between decreasing surgery and expanding treatment options of biologic or JAKi, interrupted time‐series analysis results showed no significant correlation (level change in UC, −1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −2.11 to −0.16, P = 0.0235; slope change in UC, −0.05, 95% CI: −0.26 to 0.16, P = 0.6372; level change in CD, −0.55, 95% CI: −1.82 to 0.71, P = 0.3815; slope change in CD, −0.22, 95% CI: −0.63 to 0.19, P = 0.2892). Conclusions In Japan, from 2015 to 2019, the use of biologics or JAKi increased for UC and slightly decreased for CD, while the number of surgeries decreased in both. Our findings suggest that more widespread use of biologics or JAKi therapy could reduce surgeries in patients with IBD.