A new opportunity for innovative inflammatory bowel disease research: the moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis in Korea (MOSAIK) cohort study

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

able economic burden for the healthcare system.The first costof-illness study for IBD in Korea reported an approximately 2-fold increase in total IBD-related direct healthcare costs over 5 years from $8.5 million in 2010 to $16.9 million in 2014.4 In addition to this "double burden" of the disease, UC is also associated with a significant psychosocial burden caused by debilitating symptoms that lead to poor health-related quality of life (HRQL) and loss of work productivity.5 Finally, patients with UC have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancers, compared with the general population.6 Given the chronic nature of UC, a comprehensive understanding of the natural history of UC is imperative for improving long-term care.In particular, identifying predictors of poor disease outcomes is essential for preventing disease progression and to efficiently use limited resources by optimizing personalized treatment strategies.In these regards, a prospective cohort study is an ideal research model for identifying the cause, and especially for understanding the natural history, of disease.Large-scale cohort studies in Europe and North America have demonstrated a changing landscape of UC disease course and outcomes.Many useful clinical predictors of severe disease course were also identified in these studies.7 Further long-term prospective cohort studies for IBD are necessary for better understanding and management of the