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What's New
PubMed · December 1, 2026
Researchers found that newer biologic treatments — medications made from living cells that target specific parts of the immune system — tend to give people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) more healthy, comfortable years of life compared to older, conventional treatments, even though they cost more upfront. Across 18 studies, the added health benefits of these biologics were generally considered worth the higher price tag, meaning people with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis may get meaningful improvements in quality of life from them. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 20, 2026
Researchers found that ustekinumab, a medication used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD — a condition causing chronic inflammation in the digestive tract), showed promising results in children and teens whose symptoms didn't improve with an earlier type of medication. Across 15 studies involving 653 young patients, roughly 68% achieved remission — meaning their symptoms calmed down significantly — after about a year, and serious side effects were rare, occurring in only about 1% of patients. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 11, 2026
Researchers found that in Crohn's disease clinical trials, some patients who received a placebo — a treatment with no active medicine — still showed real improvement in their gut inflammation, which can make it harder to tell how well a new drug is actually working. By analyzing detailed gut-lining scores from 155 placebo-treated patients over more than a year, the researchers built a mathematical model that could accurately predict which patients were likely to improve or not, even without active treatment. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that a protein called hepcidin — which controls how the body absorbs and uses iron — could help predict whether people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, a condition that causes ongoing inflammation in the digestive tract) would respond well to iron treatment for anemia, a condition where the blood doesn't carry enough oxygen. Specifically, people with higher hepcidin levels in their blood were less likely to benefit from iron pills, suggesting that a simple blood test might one day help doctors choose between iron pills or an IV iron infusion for their patients. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Guidelines
PubMed · July 1, 2026
A group of international experts developed recommendations on using intestinal ultrasound — a painless, non-invasive imaging tool that uses sound waves to look inside the body — to check whether Crohn's disease has come back after surgery. The experts used a structured voting process to agree on when and how this type of scan should be used, since no clear standard existed before. For people with Crohn's disease who have had surgery, having a reliable, comfortable way to monitor for signs of the disease returning could make follow-up care easier and less invasive than other methods.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that a new type of enema using a medication called tacrolimus helped people with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis — a condition where the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed and causes symptoms like rectal bleeding and discomfort — who hadn't improved with standard treatment. More than half of the patients went into remission (meaning their symptoms largely cleared up) within 4 weeks, and most stopped experiencing rectal bleeding within 2 weeks. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that Crohn's disease — a type of inflammatory bowel disease — can sometimes affect the esophagus (the tube connecting the throat to the stomach), though this is quite rare. Looking at 100 adult patients, the most common symptom was difficulty swallowing, and doctors were usually able to spot the problem using a camera scope down the throat, which revealed sores and narrowing of the esophagus in many patients. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
A study looking at data from over 1.25 million people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive system becomes chronically inflamed, like in Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis — found that a person's ethnic background and where they live may affect how the disease shows up in their body. For example, researchers found that Asian individuals with Crohn's disease were more likely to develop perianal disease (painful complications around the anal area) compared to White or Hispanic individuals, and that people of Asian descent who had immigrated were more likely to have a family history of IBD than those still living in their home country. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that teenagers and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD — a condition causing ongoing inflammation in the digestive system) who attended eight weekly group sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction — a structured program teaching techniques like focused breathing and body awareness — showed some improvement in disease severity and quality of life compared to those who waited for treatment. Participants also reported feeling more connected to their bodies and found it valuable to meet others their age living with IBD. However, about one in three people chose not to attend any sessions at all, and the improvements did not reach the level researchers look for to be statistically confident the program was responsible for the change.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that a digital self-management program called IBD-BOOST — designed to help people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) cope with ongoing pain, tiredness, and bowel leakage that doesn't improve with standard treatment — led to small improvements in quality of life and actually saved money compared to usual care alone over 12 months. IBD is a condition where the digestive tract becomes inflamed, often causing these symptoms even when medication is working as well as it can. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Guidelines
PubMed · July 1, 2026
According to Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) guidelines, people living with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease in the Asia-Pacific region now have access to a newer generation of treatments — including targeted pill-based medications and injectable therapies that work by calming specific parts of the immune system — and these guidelines help doctors in the region choose the right option for each patient. The guidelines note that some of these newer treatments work quickly to reduce symptoms, which can be especially important for people experiencing a severe flare, but doctors should screen patients carefully beforehand and ensure they are vaccinated against shingles (a painful skin infection caused by a reactivated virus many people carry) because some of these medications can raise the risk of that infection. This guidance matters because it gives doctors across 12 countries a clear, regionally relevant framework to help patients with inflammatory bowel disease — conditions where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed — get the most effective and safest care possible.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether newer medicines like filgotinib, tofacitinib, or risankizumab might be better options for the patient's condition than the treatments that are currently being used.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
A study found that people with Crohn's disease who did 15 minutes of yoga-inspired abdominal exercises at least six times a week were much more likely to reach remission — meaning their symptoms calmed down significantly — compared to those who did general exercises (75% vs. 14%). Researchers also found that a gut inflammation marker called fecal calprotectin (a protein measured in stool that signals intestinal inflammation) stayed stable in the abdominal exercise group but rose in the general exercise group, suggesting the targeted movement may help keep inflammation in check. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with Crohn's disease — a condition that causes chronic inflammation in the digestive tract — who started immune-suppressing medications (called immunomodulators) early after their diagnosis were about 47% less likely to need surgery to remove part of their intestine, compared to those who started the medications later or not at all. This finding held up consistently across thousands of patients in multiple studies, suggesting that the timing of when treatment begins may play an important role in preventing serious complications. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that nearly 1 in 3 people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a group of conditions that cause ongoing inflammation in the digestive tract, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis — experience moderate-to-severe disability, meaning significant limitations in their physical, emotional, or social life. When the disease was actively flaring, that number jumped to more than half of patients, and people with active disease were over three times more likely to have serious disability compared to those whose disease was under control. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · July 1, 2026
Researchers found that in people who have both inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and a liver condition called primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) — where the bile ducts in the liver become scarred and narrowed — advanced medications helped roughly half of patients feel better, but only about 1 in 4 showed clear healing on an internal camera exam (called endoscopy). The study also found that infections were a notable concern, occurring in about 1 in 5 patients treated with these therapies. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 12, 2026
Researchers found that vedolizumab, a medication used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, causing symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea), helped a meaningful number of Asian patients achieve remission, meaning their symptoms calmed down significantly. For example, among patients with ulcerative colitis (a type of IBD affecting the large intestine), about 57% showed improved symptoms after about a year of treatment, and healing inside the gut also improved over time. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 11, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis) who were treated with two advanced medications at the same time experienced low rates of serious side effects. This is reassuring because doctors have sometimes hesitated to combine these powerful treatments out of concern for safety risks. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 3, 2026
Researchers found that when they reviewed available studies on THC-containing cannabis as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, causing symptoms like pain, diarrhea, and cramping — the overall quality of the evidence was weak, with most studies showing significant flaws in how they were conducted. Because of these limitations, it's hard to draw firm conclusions about whether cannabis products actually help people with IBD or how safe they are. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the research shows that THC-containing cannabis products actually help with inflammatory bowel disease symptoms, or if doctors still aren't sure whether they work.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that a natural substance called itaconate — made by the body's own immune cells during inflammation — may help calm the overactive immune response seen in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition where the gut becomes chronically inflamed. It appears to work by dialing down several inflammation pathways in the body, protecting the gut lining, and even helping balance the mix of bacteria living in the intestines. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, causing symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea — who followed a Mediterranean diet alongside their regular medical treatment went into clinical remission (meaning their symptoms significantly calmed down) about 62% of the time. The Mediterranean diet involves eating mostly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish, and olive oil, while limiting red meat and processed foods. However, researchers also found that this diet did not perform noticeably better than other comparison diets, and the studies included were small and varied, so these findings should be interpreted with caution.
Guidelines
PubMed (Guideline Reviews) · June 1, 2026
According to international gastroenterology guidelines reviewed across 23 countries, doctors treating people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis — are broadly recommended to check how a patient's body processes thiopurine medications like azathioprine or mercaptopurine before and during treatment. These checks involve genetic testing and blood level monitoring to help doctors understand whether a patient is getting the right amount of medication and to catch signs of potential harm early, since people's bodies handle these drugs very differently. This matters because without this kind of personalized monitoring, some patients may not get enough benefit from the medication while others may be at higher risk of serious side effects.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with Crohn's disease — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed — responded very differently to a medication called subcutaneous infliximab (an injection given under the skin), with some experiencing rapid, lasting improvement while others saw only partial relief. The study also found that having a lower body weight and higher levels of the medication in the blood early in treatment were linked to the best outcomes. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that when doctors prescribe biologic medications — powerful drugs that calm the immune system — for Crohn's disease (a condition causing chronic inflammation in the digestive tract), there is currently no reliable way to predict which medication will work best for a given person before starting treatment. After reviewing 39 studies published over the past decade, they identified some factors — like age, weight, and certain proteins found in blood tests — that might one day help match patients to the right medication, but none were strong enough yet to use in everyday care. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that a stem cell treatment called darvadstrocel did not work significantly better than a placebo (an inactive treatment) for people with Crohn's disease who have complex perianal fistulas — painful tunnels that form near the anal area. About 49% of people who received the treatment saw their fistulas close, compared to 46% who received the placebo, which is too small a difference to be meaningful. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Guidelines
PubMed · June 1, 2026
According to guidelines from the Indian Association of Pathologists and Microbiologists (IAPM), the Indian Society of Gastroenterology (ISG), and the Colitis and Crohn's Foundation, India (CCFI), doctors should follow standardized steps when collecting and analyzing tissue samples (biopsies) from patients who may have Crohn's disease or gastrointestinal tuberculosis — two conditions that can look very similar under a microscope. This matters because confusing the two can lead to the wrong treatment, and these guidelines give pathologists (doctors who examine tissue samples) a clearer, more consistent way to tell them apart. The recommendations are especially relevant in Southeast Asia, where both conditions are common.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — conditions like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis that cause ongoing gut inflammation — who received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) via video appointments showed meaningful reductions in IBD-related disability compared to those who received usual care alone. CBT is a type of talk therapy that helps people recognize unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors, and delivering it through telehealth made it more accessible without requiring in-person visits. This matters because IBD can affect far more than just the gut — it can limit daily life, work, and emotional wellbeing — and this study suggests that online mental health support may help address those broader impacts. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Guidelines
PubMed · May 15, 2026
According to American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) guidelines, people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract is chronically inflamed, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis — are at higher risk of getting a gut infection called Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) and are more likely to have it come back or become serious. The guidelines highlight that this combination can lead to more hospital stays and even surgery, so careful attention to diagnosis and treatment choices is especially important for this group. They also point to newer treatments that work by restoring healthy gut bacteria — including an FDA-approved donor-derived therapy — as a promising option for people who keep getting C. diff infections.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the patient should know about fecal microbiota transplantation or other microbiota-based therapies if the patient develops a Clostridioides difficile infection that keeps coming back.
What's New
PubMed · May 12, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease — conditions like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, where the immune system attacks the digestive tract — may sometimes experience problems in unexpected places, including their ears, nose, and throat. The most common issue found was a type of hearing loss called sensorineural hearing loss, where the inner ear is damaged, likely due to the same immune system activity that drives the bowel disease itself. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · May 8, 2026
Researchers found that breathing pure oxygen inside a pressurized chamber — a treatment called hyperbaric oxygen therapy — may help some people with ulcerative colitis (a condition where the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed) who haven't responded to multiple other treatments. In a small study of 16 patients, those who received more sessions of the therapy were more likely to show improvements in their symptoms and in the appearance of their intestines on camera, and scans suggested that blood flow to the bowel improved in people who responded well. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Medications
PubMed · May 8, 2026
Researchers found that a group of oral medications called JAK inhibitors — which includes drugs like tofacitinib (Xeljanz) and upadacitinib (Rinvoq) — were significantly more effective than a placebo (an inactive treatment) at helping adults with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes ongoing gut inflammation and flare-ups. People taking these medications were about two and a half times more likely to reach remission (meaning their symptoms calmed down significantly) and to show a meaningful overall response to treatment. This summary focuses on effectiveness and safety across multiple studies, making it a useful overview of these medications as a treatment option rather than a single new finding.
For informational purposes only. Not medical advice. Always consult a physician before making any health decisions.