Antibiotics are not effective therapy for Crohn's disease (time to remove the rose-coloured glasses)

✍ Scribed by Dr. Brian Feagan

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 336 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1078-0998
• DOI: 10.1002/ibd.3780030410

✦ Synopsis

Since bacteria are believed to be important in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), antibiotic therapy is a theoretically attractive form of therapy. Although many review articles and textbooks advocate the use of antibiotics for treatment of active Crohn's disease. in my opinion, very few good data exist to support this endorsement. This article will outline the rationale for this conclusion by reviewing some of the controlled studies that have evaluated the efficacy of antibiotics in patients with active Crohn's disease. The use of these drugs for the treatment of perianal disease and the role of antituberculous therapy for Crohn's disease will not be considered.

WHY ANTIBIOTICS MIGHT BE EFFECTIVE FOR CROHN'S DISEASE

An impressive body of knowledge \upport\ the notion that the faecal flora are involved in the pathogeneu\ ot Crohn's disease. These data include the observations th'it