Treatment of Crohn's Disease at the Turn of the Century

Inflammatory bowel diseases are the second most common chronic inflammatory disorder after rheumatoid arthritis. Of these, Crohn's disease afflicts hundreds of thousands of patients, particularly in developed countries, and its incidence is increasing.1 The cause is unknown. Although the terminal ileum and ascending colon are the most common sites of inflammation, the disease can involve any part of the digestive tract, and extraintestinal manifestations are common. The clinical phenotype of Crohn's disease, including the severity and location of the disease, differs among patients, suggesting a multifactorial origin. This has important implications for both the care of individual patients and clinical . . .