Effects of Early Nutritional Intervention on Clinical Remission Rates and Quality of Life in Newly Diagnosed Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder influenced by multiple factors including genetic susceptibility, immune dysregulation, environmental triggers, and nutritional status. Nutritional deficiencies are common in IBD patients and may contribute to disease progression and poor clinical outcomes. In this study, we examined how early nutritional intervention affected clinical remission rates, disease activity, and quality of life in newly diagnosed IBD patients. We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 153 newly diagnosed IBD patients, dividing them into two groups: 78 patients who received early nutritional intervention combined with conventional treatment (intervention group) and 75 patients who received conventional treatment alone (control group). Following treatment periods of 4, 8, 12, and 24 wk, we assessed clinical remission rates, disease activity indices (CDAI for Crohn’s disease and Mayo scores for ulcerative colitis), quality of life scores (IBDQ), inflammatory markers, nutritional status, and disease-related complications. Early nutritional intervention led to enhanced clinical remission rates beginning at 8 wk and continuing through 24 wk. Disease activity indices showed progressive improvement in the intervention group, with both CDAI scores in Crohn’s disease patients and Mayo scores in ulcerative colitis patients demonstrating notable reductions by the 24-wk assessment. Quality of life scores improved substantially in the intervention group, particularly evident at the 12 and 24-wk time points. Inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and fecal calprotectin, exhibited marked decreases in patients receiving nutritional intervention. Nutritional parameters demonstrated improvement in the intervention group, with both serum albumin and prealbumin levels showing restoration toward normal ranges. Additionally, patients in the intervention group experienced lower rates of rehospitalization, extraintestinal complications, and disease relapse during the 24-wk follow-up period. These findings indicate that early nutritional intervention significantly improves clinical outcomes in newly diagnosed IBD patients by enhancing remission rates, reducing disease activity and inflammatory burden, optimizing nutritional status, and decreasing complications. This intervention strategy may represent a valuable therapeutic approach for improving both short-term and long-term prognosis in IBD management.