Crohn’s Disease: Supporting Patients in Their Pursuit of Disease Control

Abstract

The objectives of this symposium were to describe the current unmet needs in the treatment and management of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) in clinical practice. Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting several areas of the gastrointestinal tract, which can have a negative impact on patient quality of life (QoL) and may lead to disability. Effective management and early disease intervention combined with control of inflammation in CD are crucial to achieving sustained remission. Clinical remission, however, is not always an indicator of mucosal healing and does not necessarily translate to real-world benefits for patients. Unfortunately, not all patients respond to their current treatment and several experience unacceptable adverse events. Furthermore, treatment with some anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antibodies can paradoxically induce psoriatic lesions that regress after treatment withdrawal, highlighting the need for more therapeutic options. The symposium was opened by Prof Séverine Vermeire, who discussed the unmet needs for patients with IBD and whether CD is sufficiently controlled. Special attention was paid to clinical remission, steroid-free remission, and mucosal healing. Dr Alessandro Armuzzi then reflected upon the current therapeutic options for CD and their application in clinical practice. The final contribution came from Prof Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet, who discussed new developments in the treatment of IBD, and presented data from clinical trials of the monoclonal antibody (mAb) ustekinumab.