| Theme | Treatment of Crohn's Disease | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Outline of Drug Therapy for Crohn's Disease | |
| Publish Date | 1998/01 | |
| Author | Yoshiharu Satake | Tasaka Memorial Clinic |
| [ Summary ] | Convenience is a merit of drug therapy in the treatment of Crohn's disease. Although enteral nutritional treatment has reliable efficacy for active and quiescent Crohn's disease, prolonged hospitalization and fasting are burdensome for patients with this disease. The treatment of Crohn's disease consists of therapy for the active symptomatic phase and maintenance therapy for the quiescent phase. Corticosteroids are evaluated as the most effective medicine for active Crohn's disease. Combined use of corticosteroids and sulfasalazine is effective for the colonic lesions of this disease. Antimetabolic agents should be prescribed after the risks and benefits have been carefully explained to the patient. There is no medicine with reliable efficacy for quiescent Crohn's disease. Sulfasalazine and 5-aminosalicylic acid might be beneficial for colonic lesions and small bowel involvement. The poor reliability and the adverse effects of drug therapy for Crohn's disease are problems that should be resolved in the near future. |
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