| Theme |
Recent advances in detection of mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel disease |
| Title |
Considering of histological healing in inflammatory bowel disease |
| Author |
Atsuko Ota |
Department of Pathology, Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital |
| Author |
Akinori Iwashita |
Department of Pathology, Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital |
| Author |
Hiroshi Tanabe |
Department of Pathology, Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital |
| Author |
Ken Kinjo |
Department of Pathology, Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital |
| Author |
Go Ikezono |
Department of Pathology, Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital |
| [ Summary ] |
The primary therapeutic target for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has shifted from symptom control to mucosal healing (MH), and histological healing (HH) has attracted attention as a potential target. However, the evidence is insufficient to recommend HH as a target, and HH has no generally accepted definition. In 2014, HH was defined as a) the absence of neutrophils (both in the crypts and lamina propria), b) the absence of basal plasma cells and, ideally, reduction of plasma cell count to normal,and c) normal numbers of laminate propria eosinophils. As plasma cells and eosinophils also exist in normal intestines as chronic inflammatory cells, their roles and the method for their determination are sources of many uncertainties. Thus, we regarded only the absence of neutrophils as the condition for HH at the present stage. HH was pointed out to be related to subsequent good clinical outcomes; therefore, it may become one of the therapeutic targets in the future. Establishment of the definition of HH is expected. |