Biologic Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are excellent examples on how the exponential growth of knowledge in biomedical science can make a remarkable impact on clinical practice and patient's quality of life. Recent advances have led to new therapeutic concepts targeting almost every aspect of the inflammatory process and help with the restitution of mucosal integrity. This book summarizes conventional therapy and explores all approved biologic therapies. All medications in their respective indications for children and adults are discussed by an international panel of experts. A specific chapter was dedicated to therapy-associated risks of biologic therapy and effective strategies to prevent and manage complications. To address the needs associated with family planning, one chapter explores the impact of biologic therapy on fertility, pregnancy and nursing.