The aetiology of @entity30 is unknown and therefore no curative treatments are available for the disease. The natural history of @entity30 is characterized by recurrent flare-ups of symptoms. Several drug treatments are effective in inducing clinical remission. However, no drug treatments are available in order to prevent clinical relapses, although several drug regimens may delay clinical flare-ups. @entity30 treatment for maintaining clinical remission needs to be tailored in relation to specific characteristics of each @entity1 . The frequency of clinical relapse indeed shows marked variations in subgroups of @entity1 , as the likelyhood of relapse is higher in @entity1 in clinical remission for less than 6 months. Treatment strategies for maintaining remission may therefore differ among inactive @entity1 . In chronically active, @entity134 -dependent or @entity134 -refractory @entity30 @entity1 immunomodulatory drugs ( @entity500 2-2.5 mg/kg by mouth, @entity4446 1-1.5 mg/kg by mouth, or @entity1499 15-25 mg/i.m./week) should be added to oral @entity2983 (2.4 g/day), while in long-term inactive @entity30 @entity1 @entity2983 alone may be effective in delaying relapse. Recently, treatment with anti- @entity5 @entity39 factor-alpha monoclonal antibodies (Infliximab or @entity13667 571) has shown efficacy in delaying relapse in responsive @entity1 . One other issue which needs to be considered before selecting drug treatments for maintaining remission in @entity30 , is that @entity30 activity is currently assessed on the basis of standard clinical scores which may not appropriately reflect the biological activity of the disease. Clinical remission as defined by standardized scores may include heterogeneous subgroups of @entity1 showing different endoscopic and histological activity or persistence of activated immunocompetent cells within the gut. Several sub-clinical markers of relapse have indeed been reported in quiescent @entity30 , although their usefulness in clinical practice in currently uncertain.

Review article: maintenance treatment of XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity500 :: ('MESH:D001379', 'Chemical') :: ['azathioprine'] @entity39 :: ('MESH:D009336', 'Disease') :: ['necrosis'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumour'] @entity4446 :: ('MESH:D015122', 'Chemical') :: ['6-mercaptopurine'] @entity134 :: ('CHEBI:35341', 'Chemical') :: ['steroid'] @entity13667 :: ('MESH:D003565', 'Chemical') :: ['CDP'] @entity1499 :: ('MESH:D008727', 'Chemical') :: ['methotrexate'] @entity30 :: ('MESH:D003424', 'Disease') :: ["Crohn's disease"] @entity2983 :: ('MESH:D019804', 'Chemical') :: ['mesalazine']
@entity30 :: (MESH:D003424,Disease) :: ['Crohn's disease']
