Marco Antonio Villeda-Ramírez, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México, México
Jesús K. Yamamoto-Furusho , Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, México, D.F., Mexico
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic and chronic inflammatory disorder of gastrointestinal tract which includes Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and indeterminate colitis. These disorders are characterized by cycles of remission and relapse evidenced by frequent fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. The differential diagnosis is performed by endoscopic, clinical, and histologic findings. The pharmacological therapy aim is to maintain long time remission and mucosal healing. For monitoring the efficacy of
pharmacological therapy, an invasive colonoscopy study and clinical scores of clinical activity evaluation are the major tools employed. The colonoscopy is the better tool for determining the mucosa healing but is uncomfortable and less practical for the patients, and the possibility of perforation is a complication. Clinical activity evaluation does not let evaluate the mucosa healing and employs biochemical and clinical parameters like biochemical biomarkers. Biomarkers are useful in order to reduce invasive procedures such as endoscopy as well as in the prediction of relapses and in the tight monitoring for optimizing medical therapy in IBD patients.
Palabras clave: Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Fecal. Serological. Biomarkers. Clinical Outcomes.