Nutrition management in the adult patient with Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic and recurrent immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract.1,2 Typically, patients suffer from chronic intestinal inflammation that follows a relapse-remitting pattern, as well as from a variety of complications (Table I) that may or may not involve the gut.3,4 Disease activity can be classified by the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index5 (CDAI) (Table II), and usually, treatment includes various combinations of corticosteroid, anti-inflammatory (aminosalicylates), immune-modulating or biological therapy.4 While the exact cause of CD is not known, it is thought to result from a complex interplay between intestinal bacteria and an environmental trigger in genetically susceptible individuals (Figure 1).6