Management of inflammatory bowel disease in the elderly: do biologicals offer a better alternative?
The management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in elderly patients provides added complexity for healthcare providers who need to take into account the high likelihood of co-morbid disease, the need for polypharmacy and, in many instances, greater patient fragility. While biologics are often considered first-line corticosteroid-sparing strategies for moderate to severe disease, the additional variables unique to an elderly patient warrant consideration when discussing IBD therapeutics. As chronic corticosteroid use, although relatively common among older IBD patients, is suboptimal, the efficacy and safety of biologics compared with immunomodulators among older IBD patients needs additional investigation.
Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA, cha@mednet.ucla.edu.
Christina
C
Ha
Seymour
S
Katz
D000368:Aged; D001691:Biological Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D061214:Patient Safety