Title: Can Visceral Adipose Tissue and Skeletal Muscle PredictRecurrence of Newly Diagnosed
Crohn’s Disease in Different Treatments
Version: 0 Date: 02 Nov 2021
Reviewer's report:
Body composition has been shown to correlate with disease activity and clinical outcomes,
including response to treatment, in patients with Crohn's disease. In this retrospective cohort
study, patients with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease were separated into groups according to initial
treatment, and body composition parameters derived from  pre-treatment abdominal CT scans
were compared between those who relapsed and those who did not. Some differences were noted
- with excess visceral adiposity and low muscle mass associated with higher rates of relapse.
The concept of the paper is simple, and the analysis generally appropriate - although some
explanation of choice of the LASSO analysis method might be helpful.
I would like to make a few points - the definition of recurrence is strict and includes endoscopic
or radiological endpoints. Are data available to describe these endpoints? Are primary non-
response and secondary loss of response classified the same?
The group of patients treated with biologic drugs were significantly younger, with different body
composition parameters, than the other groups. This may be the reason for a lack of difference
in visceral fat indices between relapsers/non-relapsers in that group, rather than be specific to
biologic drugs.
The use of English language throughout the paper (including the title and running title) requires
significant revision for the purposes of clarity and readability.
Some of the references are repeated in the bibliography.
Title: Can Visceral Adipose Tissue and Skeletal Muscle PredictRecurrence of Newly Diagnosed
Crohn’s Disease in Different Treatments
Version: 0 Date: 02 Nov 2021
Reviewer's report:
Body composition has been shown to correlate with disease activity and clinical outcomes,
including response to treatment, in patients with Crohn's disease. In this retrospective cohort
study, patients with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease were separated into groups according to initial
treatment, and body composition parameters derived from  pre-treatment abdominal CT scans
were compared between those who relapsed and those who did not. Some differences were noted
- with excess visceral adiposity and low muscle mass associated with higher rates of relapse.
The concept of the paper is simple, and the analysis generally appropriate - although some
explanation of choice of the LASSO analysis method might be helpful.
I would like to make a few points - the definition of recurrence is strict and includes endoscopic
or radiological endpoints. Are data available to describe these endpoints? Are primary non-
response and secondary loss of response classified the same?
The group of patients treated with biologic drugs were significantly younger, with different body
composition parameters, than the other groups. This may be the reason for a lack of difference
in visceral fat indices between relapsers/non-relapsers in that group, rather than be specific to
biologic drugs.
The use of English language throughout the paper (including the title and running title) requires
significant revision for the purposes of clarity and readability.
Some of the references are repeated in the bibliography.
Please review this paper.
user
Title: Can Visceral Adipose Tissue and Skeletal Muscle PredictRecurrence of Newly Diagnosed
Crohn’s Disease in Different Treatments
Version: 0 Date: 02 Nov 2021
Reviewer's report:
Body composition has been shown to correlate with disease activity and clinical outcomes,
including response to treatment, in patients with Crohn's disease. In this retrospective cohort
study, patients with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease were separated into groups according to initial
treatment, and body composition parameters derived from  pre-treatment abdominal CT scans
were compared between those who relapsed and those who did not. Some differences were noted
- with excess visceral adiposity and low muscle mass associated with higher rates of relapse.
The concept of the paper is simple, and the analysis generally appropriate - although some
explanation of choice of the LASSO analysis method might be helpful.
I would like to make a few points - the definition of recurrence is strict and includes endoscopic
or radiological endpoints. Are data available to describe these endpoints? Are primary non-
response and secondary loss of response classified the same?
The group of patients treated with biologic drugs were significantly younger, with different body
composition parameters, than the other groups. This may be the reason for a lack of difference
in visceral fat indices between relapsers/non-relapsers in that group, rather than be specific to
biologic drugs.
The use of English language throughout the paper (including the title and running title) requires
significant revision for the purposes of clarity and readability.
Some of the references are repeated in the bibliography.
assistant