title: Review article: the medical management of Crohn's disease.
abstract: The choice of medical therapies for Crohn's disease continues to grow. Although our understanding of the mechanisms of the disease is incomplete, increasing knowledge of the pathogenesis of inflammation in general and Crohn's disease in particular allows targeting of therapies at various points in the immunoinflammatory cascade. In addition, the division of Crohn's disease into subtypes by location, aggressiveness, and the presence or absence of perianal and fistulizing disease allows the tailoring of medical therapy to the individual patient. For those patients with moderate to severe symptoms or frequent flares of disease activity, and those who have required surgical resection, maintenance therapy can substantially reduce the rate of recurrence. Despite these advances, available medical therapies for Crohn's disease remain imperfect, as evidenced by their sometimes substantial toxicities and the continued frequent need for surgery.
authors.affiliation: Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Elton
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hanauer
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D006801:Humans; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total; D013256:Steroids; D012460:Sulfasalazine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D013256:Steroids; D012460:Sulfasalazine