Monitoring of therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.
The monitoring of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) based on clinical symptoms and activity scores alone has major drawbacks. Despite clinical remission, in many patients with ongoing low-grade inflammation and activity scores, there is a tendency to underestimate IBD activity as parameters depend on the subjective symptoms of the patients. C-reactive protein might identify patients with low-grade inflammation, especially in Crohn's disease, but sensitivity remains limited. Recently, fecal markers of inflammation have been shown to correlate well with endoscopic disease activity and to predict relapse. However, data on serial measurements to guide therapy are scarce. The role of anti-TNF-α antibodies and plasma TNF-α concentrations in IBD therapy is currently unclear and needs to be defined further. The goal of improving disease outcome has not been demonstrated for any noninvasive biomarker so far.
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Emanuel
E
Burri
Christoph
C
Beglinger
Frank Serge
FS
Lehmann
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001706:Biopsy; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003113:Colonoscopy; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex / Q000378:metabolism; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex; D002097:C-Reactive Protein