Role of biological therapy in early Crohn’s disease: mini-review

disease (IBD). CD has progressive character and is associated with the development of various complications leading to potentially serious bowel damage (BD). Early stage of Crohn’s disease (eCD) is characterized by a specific immune response and represents an attractive target for specific agressive therapy. The use of bio­logics (BL) in eCD may help to prevent BD and allow early dose reduction or even discontinuation of BL. Wide scientific evidence supports the importance of BL in eCD based on studies with anti-TNF bio­logics (being part of clinical practice for relatively long time now). However, studies on novel bio­logics with low rate of the adverse events (vedolizumab, ustekinumab) also show promising results. Defining high-risk groups and suitable bio­markers would help to select those eCD patients who would benefit the most from early bio­logical therapy. Key words: inflammatory bowel disease – Crohn’s disease – bio­logical therapy