Enteral nutrition as treatment option for Crohn's disease: in kids only?

Inflammatory bowel disorders (IBD) are characterized by chronic and recurrent inflammatory reactions of the intestinal mucosa resulting in progressing ulcerating lesions. Research over the past decade clearly identified in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) a marked dysregulation of the intestinal microbiome (dysbiosis) as one trigger factor in these inflammatory processes, particularly in patients with a high genetic risk. When treating patients with CD, most drugs aim to control the inflammatory process (either by inhibiting inflammatory pathways or by reducing the activity of immune cells). Given the importance of the disturbed interaction between the microbiota and the host immune system, there might be a different therapeutic approach in targeting directly the intestinal microflora. There are good data to believe that the use of exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is one such option. Historically, enteral nutrition (EN) was used as supplemental nutritional therapy in CD patients with planned resection surgery. This treatment option showed unexpected and very powerful anti-inflammatory effects, and it was rapidly introduced as induction therapy for active CD. Several clinical trials and case series confirmed the efficacy of EN to induce remission in approximately 80% of patients equaling the potential of steroids. It is well established that EN has this strong anti-inflammatory potential only when given on an exclusive basis, without any additional food. This raises major compliance issues, probably one of the reasons why it is less used in adult patients. A recent study demonstrated that EEN has a specific effect on the intestinal microbiota, which is markedly different from steroid-induced remission, while all patients obtained complete clinical remission. These observations give a first basis for the understanding of the impact of EEN on dysbiosis in patients with CD.