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Enteral Nutrition in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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Nutritional Management of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

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Abstract

For over 30 years, exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) has been utilized to treat Crohn’s disease both in children and in adults. However, while EEN has gained widespread acceptance in Europe, Canada, and Japan, EEN treatment is not widely utilized in the USA. A study by Levine et al. demonstrated that approximately 60 % of European pediatric gastroenterologists utilize EEN, compared to approximately 4 % of their American counterparts [1]. The chapter below will review the evidence that EEN is effective in both adult and pediatric Crohn’s disease. I will discuss the impact of EEN on clinical disease activity, biomarkers, and endoscopic healing. The chapter will also provide instruction on how to implement an EEN program, as well as the challenges one may face. The advantages and disadvantages of this form of treatment in Crohn’s disease are listed in Table 6.1. The chapter will focus almost exclusively on the treatment of Crohn’s disease, as there is no evidence that EEN brings about a remission in ulcerative colitis. The reader is also referred to the excellent North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) clinical report on use of EEN to treat pediatric Crohn’s disease [2].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Athos Bousvaros M.D., M.P.H.

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  1. Athos Bousvaros M.D., M.P.H.
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Correspondence to Athos Bousvaros M.D., M.P.H. .

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  1. Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan

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Bousvaros, A. (2016). Enteral Nutrition in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. In: Ananthakrishnan, A. (eds) Nutritional Management of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26890-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26890-3_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-26890-3

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