IBD facts

Treatments

 

New Developments in the Treatment of IBD

Research into IBD is progressing all the time and, although there is still no permanent cure, understanding of IBD has improved vastly.

Before considering any new therapy, it is important to discuss all the available options with your doctor or IBD nurse to determine if the treatment is suitable for you.

New Drugs Being Explored

Much of the recent work in the development of IBD has been in developing drugs to control the immune system (e.g. infliximab), to reduce the body's response to inflammation. These newer drugs are more specifically targeted than older treatments (such as steroids and immunosuppressants) and therefore the responses can be more rapid. However, you need to discuss with your doctor if the newer drugs are suitable for you.

Certain antibiotics have proved beneficial in many cases of Crohn's disease but their effects are less marked in ulcerative colitis. Taking heparin in combination with mesalazine is thought to benefit some of the more severe cases of colitis, mainly where mesalazine alone has failed to work. It is not exactly clear how this combination works - it may be due to effects on the immune system or to the effect of heparin in thinning the blood.

Because of the long-term side effects of some steroids, newer types of steroids are being explored. These new steroids have different release mechanisms from the previous steroids, to prolong the duration of effect in the body.

The culinary spice turmeric is thought to be an active anti-inflammatory agent. However, simply eating large amounts of the spice is not an effective way to treat your IBD! Clinical trials, testing a preparation of the turmeric powder mixed with essential oils in a gelatine capsule, are currently taking place in patients with steroid-dependent Crohn's disease (of the colon) and ulcerative colitis.

Other agents that are currently being investigated in the treatment of IBD include probiotics, methotrexate, mycophenolate and fish oils.

New Diets Under Investigation

Whilst diet does not affect ulcerative colitis, work is continuing to look into the role of diet in the treatment of Crohn's disease. Topics currently under investigation include:

  the amount and type of fat in the diet

  the effects of whole proteins compared to more simple proteins

  fermentation in the gut and its role in health and disease

Several experimental diets are being tested in hospitals and clinics around the country. One such diet is the elemental diet which is thought to reduce the inflammatory process.

Other treatments in development

A rather unusual new treatment for IBD involves the introduction of worm eggs into the intestine. As bizarre as it may sound, this has been tried experimentally in a very small number of patients and has been shown to have some benefit. It may just be that the benefits are due to a placebo effect (i.e. simply thinking that the treatment will do some good makes the patient believe that the treatment is actually working). Whether this becomes a treatment choice in the future depends on the outcome of controlled clinical trials.

Talk to your doctor or IBD nurse to see whether you are eligible for any of these new treatments.

return to top of the page