Early immunomodulator use cuts risk in Crohn’s
22nd July 2014
By Hugo Wilcken
Use of thiopurines or methotrexate within three years of diagnosis reduces the need for both initial and recurrent surgery in Crohn’s disease, a large Australian study finds.
Surgical rates five years on from diagnosis decreased from 38% in those who did not benefit from early immunomodulator (IM) therapy to 23% in those who did, showed data from over 1,000 consecutive patients diagnosed from 1970 to 2009.
Early IM use increased during