Specialist care in the management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), both chronic, relapsing, incurable conditions. Phenotypical expression may vary, and a fraction of patients respond appropriately to conventional drugs without complications or need for hospitalization. At the opposite end of this spectrum, 30-40% of patients have severe, aggressive disease poorly responsive to conventional drugs. These latter patients urgently need more advanced therapy options, which also represent additional safety concerns. IBD management has become increasingly complex, and specialist care is deemed associated with better outcomes in the management of patients with IBD.