Novel Insights into the Diagnosis and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Dear Colleagues,

We are currently confronting an increasing incidence of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The key features of IBD comprise a combination of clinical, biochemical, radiographic, endoscopic and pathological findings. Therefore, the therapeutic management of IBD is associated with multiple objectives: rapid clinical remission, a long-term outcome, mucosal healing, deep remission, steroid-free remission, a decreased risk of complications, cancer, hospitalization and surgery, and an eventual improvement in quality of life.

In recent decades, significant advances have been made in genetic, molecular and biochemical profiling for the diagnosis and monitoring of IBD. The treat-to-target strategy has been implemented in clinical practice to enable a broad range of available treatments to optimize patient outcomes. Moreover, new drugs are in development. Despite the availability of treatments, various aspects of IBD remain to be addressed. For example, many patients do not achieve remission, and ongoing symptoms may affect patients’ quality of life and lead to an increased risk of infection.

The prediction of outcomes and patients’ response to therapy is of paramount importance in decisions regarding treatment strategies. Therefore, the prognostic factors associated with the behavior of the disease, the risk of intestinal or extraintestinal complications, the risk of cancer or surgery, and the rate of response in different therapeutic molecules are still under investigation.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute your expertise and research to this Special Issue.

This Special Issue aims to address research and perspectives regarding the latest technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of IBD. Original articles and reviews that present monitoring strategies for the prediction of outcomes and the tailoring of therapy for IBD will be included. Articles that address the concept of the brain-gut axis in IBD are also welcome, as this Special Issue aims to investigate the correlation between chronic inflammation, dysbiosis and the risk of neurological disorders in IBD. Furthermore, this Special Issue aims to investigate the efficacy of novel therapeutic drugs and the outcomes of subsequent medical interventions in patients with a loss of response to anti-tumor necrosis factor agents.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: non-invasive biomarkers for the early diagnosis of IBD and the prediction of its behavior, the genetic or molecular biomarkers associated with prognosis and drug response, the role of abdominal ultrasounds in monitoring and tailoring therapy, the management of dysplasia and colorectal cancer in IBD, the levels of anti-TNF drug and antibodies in monitoring IBD, the gut-brain axis and dysbiosis in IBD, the risk and diagnosis of neurological disorders in IBD, and nutrition and probiotics in IBD.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Alina Ioana Tantau
Guest Editor

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