New Hope for People with Crohn’s Disease
People with severe cases of Crohn’s disease often need surgery, which frequently includes a bowel resection. Unfortunately, even after such extreme measures, the disease can reoccur.
Now, groundbreaking research from the UPMC Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center has found that treating a person with medicine after the bowel resection can keep Crohn’s disease from reoccurring.
This research has been published in peer-reviewed, international journals and our Pittsburgh physicians are often asked to lecture at medical conferences.
Other active research studies from the center's gastroenterologists and scientists include:
- Immunology-based collaborations with other UPMC medical disciplines (for example, rheumatology and pulmonology) to address the role of inflammation in IBD
- Cognitive behavioral therapies to improve patient sleep and medicine compliance
- Implications of gender and race in IBD diagnosis and treatment.
UPMC has one of the largest patient tracking databases in the world. Our researchers study these data to find links among genetics, medicine reactions, hospital visits, and related patient responses.
One day soon, discoveries using this data will help our gastroenterologists provide personalized medical therapy for people with IBD.