IBD Highlights
Treat-to-target in inflammatory bowel disease
Giulia D’Arcangelo MD
UOC di Gastroenterologia ed Epatologia Pediatrica, Sapienza Università di Roma
Treat-to-target, is a management strategy of inflammatory bowel disease, that focuses on objective and scheduled measures to monitor intestinal damage, with consequent therapeutic adjustments in case of failure to achieve predefined targets. Those targets have been identified in 2015 by the Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE) committee. Clinical remission and mucosal healing are the main targets. Transmural healing, histological remission and normalization of serological and fecal inflammatory markers are still listed as adjunctive targets but it is conceivable that they will be soon elected as primary target in the next future. Modifying the natural history of inflammatory bowel diseases and prevent bowel damage progression is the ultimate goal of this approach.