The Korean journal of internal medicine

The Korean Association of Internal Medicine (대한내과학회)
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Perception of fecal microbiota transplantation in patients with ulcerative colitis in Korea: a KASID multicenter study

  • Jebyung Park (Soonchunhyang University Graduate School) ;
  • Sung Noh Hong (Department of Internal Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine) ;
  • Hong Sub Lee (Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine) ;
  • Jongbeom Shin (Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine) ;
  • Eun Hye Oh (Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kwangwoo Nam (Department of Internal Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine) ;
  • Gyeol Seong (Department of Internal Medicine, Eulji University College of Medicine) ;
  • Hyun Gun Kim (Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine) ;
  • Jin-Oh Kim (Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine) ;
  • Seong Ran Jeon (Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2024.02.16
  • Accepted : 2024.06.10
  • Published : 2024.09.01
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Abstract

Background/Aims: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a promising therapy for inducing and maintaining remission in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, FMT has not been approved for UC treatment in Korea. Our study aimed to investigate patient perceptions of FMT under the national medical policy. Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter study. Patients with UC ≥ 19 years of age were included. Patients were surveyed using 22 questions on FMT. Changes in perceptions of FMT before and after education were also compared. Results: A total of 210 patients with UC were enrolled. We found that 51.4% of the patients were unaware that FMT was an alternative treatment option for UC. After reading the educational materials on FMT, more patients were willing to undergo this procedure (27.1% vs. 46.7%; p < 0.001). The preferred fecal donor was the one recommended by a physician (41.0%), and the preferred transplantation method was the oral capsule (30.4%). A large proportion of patients (50.0%) reported that the national medical policy influenced their choice of FMT treatment. When patients felt severe disease activity, their willingness to undergo FMT increased (92.3% vs. 43.1%; p = 0.001). Conclusions: Education can increase preference for FMT in patients with UC. When patients have severe disease symptoms or their quality of life decreases their willingness to undergo FMT increases. Moreover, national medical policies may influence patient choices regarding FMT.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Soonchunhyang University Research Fund.

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