Creeping fat in Crohn's disease: Travelling in a creeper lane of research

Abstract

Identification of a distinct secretion pattern of adipocytokines from creeping fat in Crohn's disease and from mesenteric adipose tissue in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) or mesenteric diseases can be considered as work in progress. Characterisation of visceral adipose tissue by its highly active secretory products may lead to the discovery of specific discrimination and activity markers in IBD and may provide future targets for drug therapy. In addition, the cellular compartment of macrophages residing within the mesenteric adipose tissue is becoming recognised as bearing pathophysiological relevance.