Biological Therapy For Inflammatory Bowel Disease

This book is a concise yet comprehensive overview of the use of biologics for the treatment of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The volume details how best to utilize these medications in order to optimize their efficacy and safety, as well as how to understand, recognize, and treat complications that may arise from using biologics to treat IBD. The text also focuses on new data, novel biologics, and biosimilars of this rapidly expanding field. Written by experts in the field, Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Biologics is a valuable resource for gastroenterologists, allied health professionals, fellows, and trainees who treat patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

The treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has posed a major challenge since its appearance. Biomedical researchers, physicians, gastroenterologists, and surgeons have struggled to improve the quality of life of their patients and have sought, above all else, to keep the disease under remission for as long as possible. Blockers for tumoral necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were the first biological drugs to be discovered and for this reason they played a crucial role in the subsequent evolution of IBD treatment. The aim of this book is to provide an overview of such drugs and the latest developments in IBD immunopathology. Our contributors discuss the main indications, efficacy, and possible side effects of the different types of drugs available today for IBD treatment.

SERIES OVERVIEW: The Oxford American Pocket Notes are a series of ultra-concise, small-format books for healthcare professionals on topics related to the diagnosis, treatment and management of various medical conditions. Each title typically features an outline of key points, guidelines and tools such as patient assessments and treatment algorithms, for a specific area of medical diagnosis and/or management. Highly practical in format, content and style, the Pocket Notes serve as a quick, easily accessible point-of-care reference for busy practitioners. In effect, they are miniature versions of the Oxford American Medical Library and Oxford American Handbooks in Medicine, capturing the key essentials needed for appropriate assessment and treatment. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a gastrointestinal condition which causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract. This disease affects an estimated one million Americans, usually in the forms of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). These two diseases have similar symptoms and are often confused for one another. Crohn's disease can occur anywhere in the digestive tract, often spreading deep into the layers of affected tissues, but ulcerative colitis usually affects only the innermost lining (mucosa) of the large intestine and rectum. IBD patients suffer from severe diarrhea and abdominal pain, and may experience other complications, such as arthritis and kidney stones, that affect the body beyond the intestinal tract. The Oxford American Pocket Notes: Biologics in Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a practical guide to the safe administration of biological agents to treat inflammatory gastrointestinal illnesses. This ultra-concise and practical volume focuses on tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocking therapy (TNF blocker), an important new class of biologic therapy indicated for the treatment of several rheumatic and other auto-immune disorders, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. This uniquely compact and affordable book features evidence-based discussion and guidelines on the mechanism of action, dosing, administration and safety considerations for the biologic agents approved to treat CD and UC, thus providing practicing physicians with easily accessible tools and insights on the use of these drugs in a daily practice setting. Culled from the pages of Handbook of Biological Therapy, this portable guide is a valuable resource for gastroenterologists, primary care physicians and other healthcare providers involved in the management of these chronic but treatable diseases.

By the time this issue of Gastroenterology Clinics of North America is released, it will have been 16 years since infliximab was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn disease. Not only have we come a long way in understanding the efficacy and safety of infliximab, we are beginning to understand how and when to use the drug. Furthermore, as of this writing, we have five other biologic agents approved for either Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis, and there are many more molecules currently in drug development for these indications. In this issue,the Editors have assembled a collection of experts to provide the most cutting-edge information on the status of biologic therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.

Now published in two volumes to accommodate new chapters on the many advances in understanding and treatment options, this set of volumes represents the definitive reference on inflammatory bowel disease, a spectrum of diseases that is receiving increasing attention as our understanding of the etiological factors increases and diagnostic tools are refined. Basic research accelerated at the beginning of this decade and is now yielding new, more targeted treatments than were available just a few years ago. Volume 1 is on IBD and Ulcerative Colitis, and Volume 2 is on IBD and Crohn's Disease. All areas that were covered in the 2nd edition have been expanded and updated. New sections include the rapidly expanding knowledge of genetics and the role of the intestinal flora and environmental factors in etiology and pathogenesis. Among the 168 chapters, there are 20 on biologic therapies and 30 on surgical management. The consultant/authors clearly state their approach to important issues, such as the duration of immunomodulator and of anti-TNF-a use and the options for managing isolated low-grade dysplasia. A strong focus on the individual patient is woven throughout both volumes, including the benefits and risks of potentially life-altering therapies and surgeries. Entire sections detail concerns about the well-being of each person. This book provides information for health professionals who help both pediatric and adult patients navigate through the lifelong shadow of a chronic, probably genetically determined ordeal.

Are you looking for concise, practical answers to questions that are often left unanswered by traditional IBD references? Are you seeking brief, evidence-based advice for complicated cases or complications? Curbside Consultation in IBD: 49 Clinical Questions provides quick and direct answers to the thorny questions commonly posed during a "curbside consultation" between colleagues. Dr. David Rubin, Dr. Sonia Friedman and Dr. Francis A. Farraye have designed this unique reference, which offers expert advice, preferences, and opinions on tough clinical questions commonly associated with IBD. The unique Q&A format provides quick access to current information related to IBD with the simplicity of a conversation between two colleagues. Numerous images, diagrams, and references are included to enhance the text and to illustrate IBD. Curbside Consultation in IBD: 49 Clinical Questions provides information that high-volume clinicians will appreciate, and yet is basic enough for residents. Gastroenterologists, fellows and residents in training, surgical attendings, and surgical residents will benefit from the user-friendly and casual format and the expert advice contained within. Some of the questions that are answered: - Which patients might be better for a "top down" approach (using anti-TNF therapy before steroids or proven failure of oral thiopurines)? What clinical behavior or serological markers might you use to identify these patients? - When is it appropriate to switch to another biologic therapy? - Should I be using chromoendoscopy in my surveillance colonoscopy in IBD? How and which agent? Would narrow band imaging be an alternative for this? - Can we follow flat low-grade dysplasia? Is any dysplasia really flat or just a spectrum of depth and size? - If women continue infliximab therapy during pregnancy, what are the implications for the baby? What should we be telling our patients about vaccinations?