New guidelines to treat inflammatory bowel disease, better, quicker and more accurately
New guidelines, developed and led by experts at the Nottingham BRC will help clinicians to better treat the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) more accurately and more quickly.
The newly updated guidelines for IBD are now available, providing a comprehensive road map for evidence-based, expert management of both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis both nationally for UK practitioners and internationally. The guidelines have been published in the journal BMJ Gut.
The guidelines cover all the relevant updates on the diagnosis and management of IBD. They cover both the medical and surgical aspects of the disease as well as special conditions like pregnancy in IBD, the treatment of extraintestinal manifestations, and drug monitoring.
For the first time, the BSG guidelines are advocating using a top-down therapy approach. This means treating patients with the best drugs straight away rather than changing treatment based on patient response.
The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) Clinical Services and Standards Committee (CSSC) commissioned the BSG to update its guidelines, which have not been revised since 2019.
The updated guidelines aim to complement the IBD standards and promote the use of the national primary care diagnostic pathway for lower gastrointestinal symptoms to enhance diagnostic accuracy and timeliness.
Professor Gordon Moran, professor of Gastroenterology in Nottingham BRC’s GI & Liver research theme, and Co-Chair of the Guideline Development Group, said:
“This is a very important document. We have undertaken an extensive evidence synthesis together with a network meta-analysis looking at the efficacy and safety of all therapeutic agents in the induction and maintenance of remission in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. We have done our best to present the extensive findings in a friendly format that will be useful to the practicing gastroenterologist in the UK and abroad.”
The guidelines were developed using GRADE methodology to provide the most up to date recommendations and best practice statements. The process was overseen by the BSG Clinical Services and Standards Committee (CSSC).
The guidelines grow out of the collaborative efforts of many members and non-members, specialists and generalists and people with lived experience of the topic being covered.
Professor Morris Gordon, from the University of Central Lancashire’s School of Medicine and Dentistry and co-chair of the GDG says: “The team took on a very challenging task. This guideline follows the highest and most challenging international standards, whilst maintaining readability and ease of use for our stakeholders.
“The transparent presentation of the evidence that underpins recommendations encourages shared decision-making and nuanced consideration of the diverse options for care. We hope this will be of direct benefit to people with Crohn’s and colitis.”
Dr Shahida Din, BSG IBD Section Chair says: “We have co-produced a guideline with patients and clinical experts to reflect the current evidence on the diagnosis and management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and an optimal multi-disciplinary IBD service.
“The new guidelines complement the IBD standards from IBDUK, a multi-stakeholder organisation working to improve the care of IBD care in the United Kingdom. We will continue to advocate for patients and support for clinical services to deliver high quality care, training, and research.” The new guidelines can be read here