← Issue №8/ week of Aug 23, 2026/IBD

Understanding the Impact of Perceived Stigma on Healthcare Perception and Medication Utilization Among Black Individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

From GI Signals issue №8: what this paper found, what it changes, and where it sits against the current standard of care, reviewed by Simon Mathews, MD.

IBD retrospective · n=1,142 · Aug 23, 2026 · Dig Dis Sci · IF 2.5

Understanding the Impact of Perceived Stigma on Healthcare Perception and Medication Utilization Among Black Individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Epidemiologyhealth servicesepidemiologyulcerative colitis
Clinical takeawayScreen for perceived stigma as a potential barrier to medication adherence in Black patients with IBD; modify counseling and communication to address stigma-related concerns. This study shows an association, not an intervention; no specific therapy or monitoring protocol is established.
What it foundIn Black participants with IBD, higher perceived stigma is associated with increased medication nonadherence (low stigma RR 0.79 [0.70-0.89], moderate stigma RR 0.95 [0.91-0.99] vs. high stigma) and poorer perception of healthcare quality (moderate stigma RR 1.14 [1.10-1.19], low stigma RR 0.88 [0.82-0.94] vs. high stigma), but not with anxiety or depression.
ContextStigma's impact on chronic disease outcomes is well established, but this is among the first to examine it specifically in Black patients with IBD, a population with documented rising incidence and worse health outcomes than White patients.
Refinessuggested applicable standard· ACG Clinical Guideline Update: Ulcerative Colitis in Adults, Am J Gastroenterol 2025;120(6):1187-1224; AGA Living Guideline on Pharmacological Management of Moderate-to-Severe UC, Gastroenterology 2024 (panel review March 2026, no changes)

Decision at stakehow to address psychosocial barriers to medication adherence in patients with ulcerative colitis

Confirm ulcerative colitis with endoscopy showing continuous colonic inflammation from the rectum plus histology, after excluding infection with two-step CDI testing.

From our summary of this standard, unedited — the part the paper bears on. marks omitted text. Our wording, not the guideline's; read the source for its own text.

Our full summary of this standard

Confirm ulcerative colitis with endoscopy showing continuous colonic inflammation from the rectum plus histology, after excluding infection with two-step CDI testing. Treat mild-moderate disease with 5-ASA by route and extent (suppository for proctitis, enema for left-sided, oral plus rectal for extensive); if 5-ASA fails, treat as moderate-to-severe rather than stepping up gradually. Position advanced therapy by EFFICACY TIER, not by an anti-TNF-first rule. Advanced-therapy-naive, higher efficacy: infliximab, vedolizumab, ozanimod, etrasimod, upadacitinib, risankizumab, guselkumab; intermediate: golimumab, ustekinumab, tofacitinib, filgotinib, mirikizumab; lower: adalimumab. PREVIOUSLY TNF-EXPOSED, higher efficacy: tofacitinib, upadacitinib, ustekinumab; lower: adalimumab, vedolizumab, ozanimod, etrasimod - S1P modulators are weakest in exactly this group. Do not cycle within the anti-TNF class after primary non-response; switch mechanism. Apply treat-to-target (STRIDE-II) to endoscopic improvement (MES 0-1). Screen for acute severe UC by Truelove-Witts and admit for IV steroids. Begin CRC surveillance 8-10 years after DIAGNOSIS for extensive or left-sided disease; isolated proctitis follows average-risk screening.

ACG Clinical Guideline Update: Ulcerative Colitis in Adults, Am J Gastroenterol 2025;120(6):1187-1224; AGA Living Guideline on Pharmacological Management of Moderate-to-Severe UC, Gastroenterology 2024 (panel review March 2026, no changes) ↗
Kizza-Brown JFN … Anyane-Yeboa A · Digestive Diseases and Sciences · IF 2.5 · PubMed ↗Permalink
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