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State of the Art Medical Treatment of the Adult Patient with IBD: The Mesalamine-Based Therapies

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Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Part of the book series: Clinical Gastroenterology ((CG))

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Abstract

Mesalamine-based therapies have been used for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis for over six decades with a long track record of safety. Despite multiple studies over years that demonstrated some efficacy of aminosalicylates in Crohn’s disease, a more critical review of the literature reveals little if any benefit. Effective for the induction and maintenance of remission for ulcerative colitis, oral aminosalicylates are the drugs of choice for mild to moderate extensive UC. There is no evidence that a single aminosalicylate formulation is clearly superior to the others. However, convenient dosing regimens enabled by the newer formulations may have an impact on adherence to therapy. Current data suggest that 5-aminosalicylic acids (5-ASA) may have a chemoprotective effect against colorectal cancer though further study is needed.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Dr. Miles Sparrow for his help in the research and referencing process of this chapter.

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Correspondence to Corey A. Siegel .

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Levy, L.C., Siegel, C.A. (2011). State of the Art Medical Treatment of the Adult Patient with IBD: The Mesalamine-Based Therapies. In: Cohen, R. (eds) Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Clinical Gastroenterology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-433-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-433-3_5

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