Medical therapy of specific clinical presentations

A pluridisciplinary approach that integrates medical therapy with surgery and other aspects of patient care, such as nutritional and psychosocial support, is essential to the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Despite new medical therapies, such as 5-amino-salicylic acid compounds, steroids, and immunomodulators, the treatment of patients with IBD remains challenging. Success depends on the appropriate use of the available medications in relation to the severity and localization of the disease. The introduction of novel immunomodulating agents such as antitumor necrosis factor alpha is likely to have a major influence on the current therapeutic strategies. This article describes the use of the available medications in the most common clinical presentations of IBD.