title: Treat to Target in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
abstract: With the expanding armamentarium in IBD the current treatment targets can be reached. By optimally using our drugs we can avoid long-term complications in IBD. For this the therapeutic strategy has to be changed from a clinically driven approach to a target-driven strategy. Currently mucosal healing, normalization of biomarkers, histological healing, and healing on abdominal imaging are proposed targets. Correct phenotyping of the patient before initiation of therapy is mandatory. Once treatment is initiated a continuous re-evaluation with consequent adaptation of the treatment when goals are not (yet) reached is needed. Both escalation and de-escalation should be considered. Drug levels can be used as a guidance to reach these targets.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospitals Leuven, KULeuven-University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Gastroenterology, Imelda GI Clinical Research Centre, Imelda ziekenhuis, Bonheiden, Belgium.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Bossuyt
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospitals Leuven, KULeuven-University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. Severine.Vermeire@uzleuven.be.
authors: Séverine
authors: S
authors: Vermeire
keywords: Biomarkers; Histological healing; IBD; MRE; Mucosal healing; Treat to target