1. The pharmacotherapeutic management of pediatric Crohn's disease
- Author
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Lori Zimmerman and Athos Bousvaros
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Disease ,Vedolizumab ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Crohn Disease ,Adrenal Cortex Hormones ,Internal medicine ,Ustekinumab ,medicine ,Adalimumab ,Humans ,Immunologic Factors ,Pharmacology (medical) ,Adverse effect ,Child ,Pharmacology ,Crohn's disease ,Clinical Trials as Topic ,business.industry ,Remission Induction ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Infliximab ,Parenteral nutrition ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Introduction: Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory condition that can occur throughout the gastrointestinal tract. The aims of treatment of children with CD are to induce and maintain clinical remission of disease, optimize nutrition and growth, minimize adverse effects of therapies, and if possible, achieve mucosal healing.Areas covered: This review summarizes evidence for the various therapeutic options in the treatment of children with CD. Exclusive enteral nutrition, corticosteroids, and biologics may be used for induction of remission. Immunomodulators (thiopurines, methotrexate) and biologics (infliximab, adalimumab) may be employed for maintenance of remission to prevent flares of disease and avoid chronic steroid use. In cases of fibrotic disease, intestinal perforations, or medically refractory, surgery may be the best therapeutic option.Expert opinion: Exclusive enteral nutrition, corticosteroids, and biologics (including anti-TNF inhibitors) may be used for induction of remission in patients with active flare of their disease. Immunomodulators and TNF inhibitors may be used for maintenance of remission. Early use of anti-TNF inhibitors in patients with moderate to severe CD may improve efficacy and prevent penetrating complications of disease. While pediatric data is limited, newer biologics, such as vedolizumab and ustekinumab, are used off-label in anti-TNF refractory disease.
- Published
- 2019