Crohn's is not a 6-week disease: lifelong management of mild to moderate Crohn's disease.
Crohn's disease is an idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disorder of the digestive tract with heterogeneous clinical presentations. Crohn's is currently not a curable disease, and patients are faced with a lifetime of recurrent disease flare-ups and remissions. Management strategies for Crohn's must therefore be targeted toward lifelong management, taking into consideration not only the short-term but also the long-term aspects of the disease. With this in mind, here we review the classifications and natural history of Crohn's disease and discuss possible predictive factors for the disease evolution in a patient. Here we also evaluate the current preferable treatment practices, based on scientifically valid research and collective clinical experience, for the management of mild to moderate Crohn's disease.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA. grl@mail.med.upenn.edu
Gary R
GR
Lichtenstein
Stephen B
SB
Hanauer
Sunanda V
SV
Kane
Daniel H
DH
Present
D000465:Algorithms; D000636:Aminosalicylic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019819:Budesonide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000636:Aminosalicylic Acids; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D019819:Budesonide