Goals and Strategies of Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Jesús K. Yamamoto-Furusho , Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, México, D.F., Mexico

Anti-TNF therapy is addressed to patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that have failed or are intolerant to conventional therapy using 5-aminosalicylates, steroids, immunomodulators such as thiopurines, methotrexate and inhibitors of calcineurin. The current goals of anti-TNF biologic therapy are focused on mucosal healing decreasing the number of hospitalizations and surgeries with consequent improvement in the quality of life of patients with IBD. Another goals have also been proposed such as combination therapy or the down ward protocol (top-down) for patients with poor prognostic factors such as fistulizing pattern (perianal disease) in Crohn’s disease (CD) and whose duration until now is indefinite. Finally emphasize that it is a safe therapy because it doesn’t increase the risk of serious infections or cancer.

Palabras clave: Anti-TNF therapy. Ulcerative colitis. Crohn´s disease. Mucosal healing.