Background The clinical and pathological features of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) are similar. Objective Here, the frequency of Mediterranean Fever (MEFV) gene mutation and its effect on the outcome of IBD were evaluated. Methods DNA sequence analysis detected the variants on the MEFV gene in patients with IBD. The relationship between mutations and the need for steroids, immunomodulators, biologics, and surgery was assessed. Results We evaluated 100 patients with IBD (55 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 45 with Crohn's disease (CD)) and 60 healthy individuals as controls. The frequency of MEFV gene mutation was 26.7% (n = 12) and 14.5% (n = 8) for UC and CD, respectively. No relationship was found between MEFV gene mutation and the need for steroids, immunomodulators, and biologics (p = 0.446; p = 0.708; p > 0.999, resp.); however, in UC, the need for surgery in those with mutation (p = 0.018) and E148Q mutation alone was significant (p = 0.037). Conclusion The rate of MEFV gene mutations was high in patients with UC who required surgery. These patients have frequent and severe attacks, indicating that the mutations are related to disease severity. MEFV mutation as a modifier factor of IBD should be considered.

Background. Iron deficiency is the prevalent complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Herein, we investigated the effect of intravenous iron treatment on quality of life (QoL) in nonanemic and iron deficient IBD patients. Methods. Eighty-five IBD patients were recruited for this study. The patients were intravenously administered 500 mg iron sucrose in the first week of the study. Hematologic parameters and QoL were evaluated before to iron treatment and during the 12th week of treatment. The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey were used to assess QoL. Results. Prior to intravenous iron administration, the IBDQ, SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores were152.3±30.6,46.7±7.3, and45.7±9.8, respectively. In the 12th week of iron administration, those scores were162.3±25.5(P<0.001),49.3±6.4(P<0.001), and47.6±8.9(P=0.024), respectively, which were all significantly different from the scores prior to iron administration. The mean changes in the IBDQ scores for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease were 8.7% and 3.0% (P=0.029), were 6.4% and 4.7% (P=0.562) for the SF-36 PCS, and were 4.6% and 3.2% (P=0.482) for the SF-36 MCS, respectively. Conclusion. Intravenous iron treatment may improve QoL in nonanemic, but iron deficient, IBD patients.

Poster presentations with organic conditions ranged from 63 to 1573 mg/g (mean 746 mg/g).Conclusions: The current manufacturer's cut-off at >60 mg/g is not clinically useful to diagnose an organic bowel pathology and further studies are needed to determine the true cut off value for a higher yield of a positive diagnosis.Cost effectiveness studies are also needed to determine referral cut off values.