International experience with Crohn’s disease exclusion diet (CDED) with partial enteral nutrition (PEN)

Abstract

The role of dietary intervention in the induction of remission of Crohn’s disease (CD) has been confirmed again by the recent ECCO (European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization) and ESPGHAN (European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition) guidelines. Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) should be the method of choice in induction of remission of active luminal CD in children. Steroids should be reserved for situations when intolerance or infectivity of EEN is present. The main limitations of EEN consist of its monotony and palatability. In search for a safe and at least similarly effective diet, Crohn’s disease exclusion diet (CDED) was developed. The number of published data regarding its safety and efficacy has increased significantly since the publication of the first randomized controlled trial in 2019. CDED seems, to be safe and its efficacy is very promising. It seems that CDED could be used in three scenarios: as a monotherapy, as a part of complex treatment and as rescue therapy in cases of loss of response. The use of CDED is promising but further research for evaluation of its efficacy, including the necessity of using partial enteral nutrition, on larger patient cohorts is required. Keywords Crohn’s disease, exclusive enteral nutrition, steroids, Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED), adherence