Clearing of the Clouds in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Management

Abstract

The skies over inflammatory bowel disease care are beginning to clear. Success is being achieved in the management of inflammatory bowel disease due to ongoing research, new medications, and most significantly to the recognition of the importance of patient selection and the definition of remission. Five answered questions provide the basis for recent successes and forecast for clearing of the clouds. How do we classify the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient? How do we select our medications to best match the patients’ classifications? How do we monitor and manage medications during the course of care? How can we predict the likelihood of response to a selected medication? Besides medications and surgery, what else is needed for best care in 2020 and beyond? These questions are addressed in this communication.