title: Infliximab use in Crohn's disease.
abstract: Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. The disease can be quite severe, resulting in hospitalisation, requiring long-term treatment with a variety of medications and frequent surgeries. Infliximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody directed against tumour necrosis factor, a key cytokine in the inflammatory cascade of many diseases, including Crohn's disease. Numerous studies have shown significant improvement in both clinical and endoscopic luminal and fistulising Crohn's disease with infliximab treatment. The clinical efficacy, indications, safety profile and future of infliximab are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania Health System, 100 Centrex, IMR, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. meenakshi.bewtra@uphs.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Meenakshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bewtra
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Lichtenstein
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D000069285:Infliximab
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000069285:Infliximab