There is no cure for IBD, but it can be managed with long-term care from a gastroenterologist and anti-inflammatory medications that suppress the immune system or interrupt certain aspects of the immune response that cause damage to the intestinal lining. Symptoms like diarrhea and mild pain can also be treated short-term with anti-diarrheal medications and acetaminophen. Unfortunately, IBD can also lead to infections, which need to be treated with antibiotics.
Exclusive enteral nutrition — which uses specific liquid formulas to meet a patient’s dietary needs — can induce remission, especially in pediatric IBD. Emerging evidence suggests that partial enteral nutrition can prevent flares when a patient is in remission, especially when fed through a nasogastric tube that delivers the formula directly into the stomach through the nose.[1]
In some cases, surgery is required to remove sections of the intestine that have become severely damaged. If the entire large intestine is removed, the end of the small intestine will be attached to an internal reservoir or external pouch (called an ostomy bag) to collect stool, or can be rerouted via ileoanal anastomosis (a surgery that enables an individual whose large intestine has been removed to defecate normally).[2] [3] [4]