Healthy Living

"Tight Control" Using Biomarkers Improves Crohn's

Biomarkers help to guide treatment of Crohn's

Jean Frederic Colombel and his associates talked about their research, stating their study was “the first study to show that timely escalation with an anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy on the basis of clinical symptoms combined with biomarkers in patients with early Crohn’s disease results in better clinical and endoscopic outcomes than symptom-driven decisions alone, and noted that more research is required to determine whether the tight control strategy can reduce hospitalizations, surgeries, complications and disability in the long-term. When patients with Crohn’s disease are making therapeutic decisions about starting a drug, or escalating or de-escalating a drug, they can’t base these decisions on symptoms alone, they need objective data including biomarkers and endoscopy results. Ultimately this will disable their disease from progressing.”