Treatment of the extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical and Research Centre, University of Manitoba, John Buhler Research Centre, 804F-715 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3P4. cbernst@cc.umanitoba.ca

There is a paucity of randomized, controlled therapy studies of the extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Most current therapeutic approaches are empiric or based on approaches to therapy in other settings. In the past year anecdotal evidence has emerged for the use of therapies that neutralize tumor necrosis factor-a in both ankylosing spondylitis and the dermatologic extraintestinal manifestations. Topical tacrolimus has also emerged as a potentially useful therapy for dermatologic manifestations. Finally, patients with IBD occasionally become transplant recipients. One study reported worsening IBD after orthotopic liver transplantation for primary sclerosing cholangitis, and another reported the benefit of renal transplantation in amyloidosis-induced renal failure.

PMID: 12441042 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]