| Theme |
Treatment for children, pregnant women and elderly patients with IBD |
| Title |
Effect of inflammatory bowel disease on pregnancy and infants |
| Author |
Makoto Naganuma |
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kieo University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Takanori Kanai |
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kieo University School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
The onset of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) occurrs in younger individuals and the disease course affects critical events in patients' lives, such as pregnancy and delivery. It is critical to appropriately provide information to patients regarding the effects of disease activity and medications on the outcome of fertility, pregnancy outcomes and infants' conditions. The fertility of non-surgical patients with both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) is comparable to that of control groups. However, infertility is more frequently observed in patients with previous surgical treatment or patients with active perianal lesions. The results of a Japanese multicenter study indicated that pregnancy outcomes after onset of UC were comparable to those before onset of UC. However, rates of spontaneous abortion and caesarean delivery after onset of CD were significantly higher than before onset of CD. Recent studies have also indicated that women with UC and CD are at increased risk of adverse birth outcomes, when they suffer from flares throughout pregnancy. In conclusion, it is critical for physicians to control disease activity in IBD patients to obtain better pregnancy outcomes and infants' health condition. |