Prevalence of QuantiFERON Positivity in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Eligible for Biological Therapy: Clinical and Demographic Analysis

Background:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), when treated with biological therapies, increases the risk of infections such as tuberculosis (TB). QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFTB) is a diagnostic tool used to detect latent tuberculosis (LTB) in immunosuppressed patients. Evaluating the prevalence of QFT positivity in IBD patients who are eligible for biological therapies is of utmost importance. Understanding the prevalence of latent TB in this population will help in implementing better preventive and therapeutic strategies. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of QFTB positivity in patients with IBD eligible for biological therapy, and to analyze the associated clinical and demographic characteristics, to implement improved preventive and therapeutic strategies for LTB in this population.
Methods:
A cross-sectional and relational study was conducted at the IBD Clinic of the General Hospital of Mexico “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga,” involving 67 patients diagnosed with IBD and candidates for biological therapy. Clinical and demographic characteristics of each patient were collected, including QFTB results. All patients underwent bacilloscopy, culture, and CRP testing for tuberculosis. For statistical analysis, measures of central tendency (mean and standard deviation) were used for continuous variables, while frequencies and percentages were used for categorical variables. Comparisons between groups were performed using Student’s t-tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables. The analysis was conducted using SPSS statistical software, version 29.
Results:
Of the 67 patients with IBD included in the study, 26.86% tested positive for QFTB. Significant differences were observed in the age at diagnosis (45 ± 16.59 years in positives vs 35.16 ± 14.64 years in negatives, p < 0.05) and the duration of the disease (12 ± 0.73 months in positives vs 36 ± 0.64 months in negatives, p < 0.05). Additionally, a higher prevalence of arthralgia was noted in the positive group (61.1% vs 38.8%, p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in gender, age, type of diagnosis (UC vs CD), or clinical course of the disease between the groups. All patients underwent bacilloscopic, culture, and CRP testing for tuberculosis, all of which were negative. Patients who began advanced therapies received prophylactic antituberculosis treatment.
Conclusions:
This study found a 26.86% prevalence of QFTB positivity in patients with IBD. The results provide crucial data on the demographic and clinical characteristics of this population, highlighting the importance of latent tuberculosis detection and the implementation of antituberculosis prophylaxis before initiating biological therapies. These measures are essential to prevent TB reactivation and improve the clinical management of patients with IBD.