Drugs Used to Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease

DRUGS USED TO TREAT INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises two distinct disorders: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The etiology and pathogenesis of these disorders remain unknown. For this reason, pharmacologictreatment of inflammatory bowel disorders often involves drugs that belong to different therapeutic classes and have different but non-specific mechanisms of anti-inflammatory action. Drugs used in inflammatory bowel disease are chosen on the basis of disease sever-ity, responsiveness, and drug toxicity (Figure 62–7).