Medical therapy of specific clinical presentations

A pluridisciplinary approach that integrates medical therapy with surgery a nd other aspects of patient care, such as nutritional and psychosocial supp ort, is essential to the management of patients with inflammatory bowel dis ease (IBD). Despite new medical therapies, such as 5-amino-salicylic acid c ompounds, steroids, and immunomodulators, the treatment of patients with IB D remains challenging. Success depends on the appropriate use of the availa ble medications in relation to the severity and localization of the disease . The introduction of novel immunomodulating agents such as antitumor necro sis factor alpha is likely to have a major influence on the current therape utic strategies. This article describes the use of the available medication s in the most common clinical presentations of IBD.