How to Achieve Mucosal Healing in Crohn’s Disease
You can work toward mucosal healing in Crohn’s with medical treatment supported by a gut-healthy diet.
Medications for Mucosal Healing
The most promising treatments for mucosal healing are advanced therapies like biologics and targeted oral medications, which manage your immune response more precisely, says Sleiman. “These therapies have significantly improved our ability to control inflammation at its source,” he says.
The treatments that have the best results are anti-TNF agents and JAK inhibitors, says Sleiman, adding that these advanced therapies that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are a great option for mucosal healing.
Anti-TNF medications that block an inflammatory protein called tumor necrosis factor alpha are used to promote mucosal healing:
- vedolizumab (Entyvio)
- ustekinumab (Stelara)
- infliximab (Remicade)
JAK inhibitors block inflammation-causing enzymes called janus kinases. Although the best ones for Crohn’s are still being studied, the current options include the following:
- filgotinib (Jyseleca)
- upadacitinib (Rinvoq)
Experts are also researching a biologic medication category called IL-23 inhibitors, which block a specific kind of cytokine, a protein that causes inflammation:
- risankizumab-rzaa (Skyrizi)
- guselkumab (Tremfya)
- mirikizumab-mrkz (Omvoh)
Your provider will recommend medications based on the Crohn’s severity and how high your risk is for complications, says Gaidos. “For those higher-risk patients, treatment with an advanced therapy is recommended,” says Gaidos.
Crohn’s Diet and Its Supportive Role
Diet can support your overall health and help you manage Crohn’s symptoms, but it can’t lead to mucosal healing on its own, says Sleiman.
Research shows a strong connection between dietary treatments and Crohn’s improvement in children, but experts haven’t seen it work as well in adults, says Gaidos. “There is an upcoming study that will hopefully provide more information on the role of diet with medications in adults with Crohn’s disease.”
However, working with a dietitian who specializes in IBD is very helpful, as diets need to be adjusted depending on the nutritional needs at various stages of healing, says Gaidos.
These diets promote healing in Crohn’s:
Your dietary plan will depend on your recommended diet and individual food restrictions. But these diets typically encourage increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, and avoiding most dairy products, tea, coffee, alcohol, and canned foods.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
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