What is IBD?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses conditions that cause inflammation in the digestive tract, with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis being the most common types. These chronic conditions can affect individuals of all ages, including children, and can be debilitating and socially isolating. Patients often face constant restroom searches, dietary restrictions, and the emotional toll of managing their condition, which may lead to work absences and nutritional deficiencies. They also face a higher risk of colorectal cancer, and treatment can impact pregnancy and fertility for women.
Personalized care is essential, as factors like age, weight, lifestyle, and genetics influence effective treatment.
World-class care, right here in Minnesota
Mayo Clinic in Rochester has expertise and experience in treating all types of IBD, including the most serious or complex cases, and is well-versed in creating individualized treatment plans for each patient. In fact, Mayo is one of the nation’s leading destinations for managing IBD, in part because of its team-based approach to care.
“Mayo is unique because the right specialist is probably just down the hall,” says Dr. Amanda Johnson, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic. “We have a great repository of expertise at our fingertips—not just our clinicians, but also GI surgeons, pharmacists, dietitians, radiologists, pathologists, and more.”
Experience matters
There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all treatment plan for IBD. For instance, doctors may recommend a completely different treatment for a woman with IBD who’s planning to become pregnant than they would for a woman on birth control. A generally healthy adult may be able to tolerate more aggressive treatments than a person who is overweight. And treating children with IBD involves a different set of considerations, which the pediatric specialists at Mayo know well.
“We take every patient’s unique situation into account to consider multiple aspects of their IBD management and provide recommendations that go beyond ‘industry standard’ treatments,” says Dr. Sunanda Kane, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic. She recommends making an initial appointment so the team at Mayo can provide clarity and connect you to the best possible care—that could mean bringing in a Mayo Clinic subspecialist for a second opinion and offer guidance to your local provider.
A wide range of treatment options
Medications are often the first line of treatment, but there are many circumstances that require surgery. “Over the last few decades, we have moved to a minimally invasive surgical approach for most patients requiring surgery for IBD,” says Dr. Kellie Mathis, a colon and rectal surgeon at Mayo Clinic. “This includes laparoscopic and robotic approaches for colectomy, proctectomy, small bowel resection, and other procedures.”
Exciting innovations
IBD treatments are advancing rapidly, offering new hope to patients. Mayo Clinic is the first and only center in Minnesota to offer noninvasive intestinal ultrasound for IBD diagnosis and management. Intestinal ultrasound provides a real-time snapshot of inflammation, without the unpleasant prep of a colonoscopy or the radiation exposure or contrast dye necessary for a CT scan.
There are also many promising clinical trials underway at Mayo Clinic, including a novel oral therapy that protects against the development of scar tissue in the intestine. Researchers are also looking into using existing treatments in new ways, as well as testing whether drugs approved for other autoimmune conditions can be effective in treating IBD. That’s good news for the future of gut health.
To learn more about Mayo Clinic’s IBD care, visit careinfo.mayoclinic.org/IBD-MN or call 507-780-6282 to schedule an appointment.
