Cyclosporine Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Currently, patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease are treated sequentially with 5-aminosalicylic acid preparations, corticosteroids, and mercaptopurine or azathioprine; metronidazole is beneficial in patients with colonic or perianal Crohn's disease. New systems to deliver 5-aminosalicylic acid are useful in patients with Crohn's disease of the small intestine and eliminate sulfapyridine-associated toxicity, but they are not more effective than sulfasalazine for colonic inflammation. Mercaptopurine and azathioprine are effective in patients with steroid-dependent or unresponsive Crohn's disease, but a three-month delay in response limits their use in acutely ill patients.The medical community and patients with inflammatory bowel disease have eagerly . . .