"New Meds Make Inroads Against Crohn’s Disease" - Dennis Thompson
Fewer Americans with Crohn's disease are ending up in the hospital than in the past, according to a new federal study. People with Crohn's typically suffer sporadic flare-ups of diarrhea or abdominal pain, but years of constant intestinal inflammation wind up doing serious physical damage to the intestines, said James F. Marion, MD, professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved in the research. "There really was nothing we were using to stem the progressive nature of Crohn's disease," Dr. Marion said. "It was all very much reactionary treatment." The biologic drugs are giving doctors a chance to get ahead of Crohn's disease, stopping or delaying the development of blockages and severe damage, Dr. Marion said.
- James Marion, MD, Professor, Medicine, Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Education, Outreach, The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital