Asl Baakhtari S, et al. - Factors that made inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients more or less likely to be willing to take corticosteroids were examined in this study. The researchers concluded that past experiences with corticosteroids determined whether patients would take corticosteroids again. Clinicians had to enquire about side effects and positive psychological symptoms correlated with corticosteroid use.

• A questionnaire was completed by respondents.
• Whether the respondents would or would not use corticosteroids again to treat their IBD was the primary outcome.
• The researchers performed 3 separate univariate and multivariate analyses to examine which variables predicted willingness to take steroids, including specific side effects.

• The questionnaire was completed by 453 respondents (321 with Crohn's disease, 115 with ulcerative colitis; mean age 40 years, 297 [66%] female).
• Factors associated with a willingness to use corticosteroids in the future were corticosteroid efficacy (OR 6.83, 95% CI 3.67-12.7), lack of previous negative side effects (OR 0.11, 95% CI 0.04-0.32), and positive side effects (OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.63-5.40).
• In multivariate analysis, factors associated with an unwillingness to use corticosteroids again were weight gain (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.29-0.98) and hallucinations (OR 0.28, CI 0.09-0.89), while increased energy (OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.20-4.42) was the only significant positive side effect in a multivariate model.