Reviewer's report
Title:13-Year Mortality Trends among Hospitalized Patients with Inflammatory
Bowel Disease
Version: 1Date:19 March 2012
Reviewer: Smita Halder
Reviewer's report:
Minor revision
1) This may be an error made when the paper was uploaded into a pdf
document, but the methods section was placed right at the end of the paper (so
the background and results sections ran consecutively).
General comments.
2) This paper addresses an interesting question regarding hospital mortality rates
in IBD patients. Community point estimate studies have shown no absolute
increase in IBD mortality rates compared to healthy controls, but there is no
information on changes in rates within the IBD population.
In comparison, there seems to be an increased risk of mortality in hospitalised
IBD patients (cf controls) through mainly thromboembolic disease or hospital
acquired infections. Again, though there are little data on trends, so this paper
seems to fill in the gaps.
The study uses sound methodology and a well described and validated
database.
The results are well presented but, unfortunately, I could not view Figure 1 in the
pdf version. I am assuming it was a simple bar chart.
3) A major limitation in the study is the fact that data on the cause of death were
not available, so IBD could be one of a multitude of conditions causing the study
subjects to be hospitalised. However, the authors do concede this obstacle and
try and speculate on reasons why rates have dropped over the years.
4) One issue that the authors could perhaps expand on in the discussion, is why
mortality is higher in UC patients than CD patients.
Overall, I enjoyed reviewing this paper and would recommend its publication.
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Acceptable
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a
statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
I declare that I have no competing interests.
Reviewer's report
Title:13-Year Mortality Trends among Hospitalized Patients with Inflammatory
Bowel Disease
Version: 1Date:19 March 2012
Reviewer: Smita Halder
Reviewer's report:
Minor revision
1) This may be an error made when the paper was uploaded into a pdf
document, but the methods section was placed right at the end of the paper (so
the background and results sections ran consecutively).
General comments.
2) This paper addresses an interesting question regarding hospital mortality rates
in IBD patients. Community point estimate studies have shown no absolute
increase in IBD mortality rates compared to healthy controls, but there is no
information on changes in rates within the IBD population.
In comparison, there seems to be an increased risk of mortality in hospitalised
IBD patients (cf controls) through mainly thromboembolic disease or hospital
acquired infections. Again, though there are little data on trends, so this paper
seems to fill in the gaps.
The study uses sound methodology and a well described and validated
database.
The results are well presented but, unfortunately, I could not view Figure 1 in the
pdf version. I am assuming it was a simple bar chart.
3) A major limitation in the study is the fact that data on the cause of death were
not available, so IBD could be one of a multitude of conditions causing the study
subjects to be hospitalised. However, the authors do concede this obstacle and
try and speculate on reasons why rates have dropped over the years.
4) One issue that the authors could perhaps expand on in the discussion, is why
mortality is higher in UC patients than CD patients.
Overall, I enjoyed reviewing this paper and would recommend its publication.
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Acceptable
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a
statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
I declare that I have no competing interests.
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer's report
Title:13-Year Mortality Trends among Hospitalized Patients with Inflammatory
Bowel Disease
Version: 1Date:19 March 2012
Reviewer: Smita Halder
Reviewer's report:
Minor revision
1) This may be an error made when the paper was uploaded into a pdf
document, but the methods section was placed right at the end of the paper (so
the background and results sections ran consecutively).
General comments.
2) This paper addresses an interesting question regarding hospital mortality rates
in IBD patients. Community point estimate studies have shown no absolute
increase in IBD mortality rates compared to healthy controls, but there is no
information on changes in rates within the IBD population.
In comparison, there seems to be an increased risk of mortality in hospitalised
IBD patients (cf controls) through mainly thromboembolic disease or hospital
acquired infections. Again, though there are little data on trends, so this paper
seems to fill in the gaps.
The study uses sound methodology and a well described and validated
database.
The results are well presented but, unfortunately, I could not view Figure 1 in the
pdf version. I am assuming it was a simple bar chart.
3) A major limitation in the study is the fact that data on the cause of death were
not available, so IBD could be one of a multitude of conditions causing the study
subjects to be hospitalised. However, the authors do concede this obstacle and
try and speculate on reasons why rates have dropped over the years.
4) One issue that the authors could perhaps expand on in the discussion, is why
mortality is higher in UC patients than CD patients.
Overall, I enjoyed reviewing this paper and would recommend its publication.
Level of interest: An article of importance in its field
Quality of written English: Acceptable
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a
statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
I declare that I have no competing interests.
assistant