Top stories in gastroenterology: Mnemonic device helps comanage Crohn’s, inequalities found in C. difficile tests

Healio recently spoke with an expert about a mnemonic device that can assist in comanaging enterocutaneous fistulas in Crohn’s disease. This was the top story in gastroenterology last week.

Another top story was about the differences in C. difficile tests for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Read all the top stories in gastroenterology here.

SSNAP: Mnemonic device helps with comanagement of fistulizing Crohn’s

Management of enterocutaneous fistulas in Crohn’s disease does not always get the attention it needs, according to Anita Afzali, MD, MPH, FACG, of the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Read more.

All C. difficile tests not created equal, especially among patients with IBD

Identifying Clostridioides difficile infection among patients with inflammatory bowel disease can be a particularly tricky task, according to Jessica Allegretti, MD, MPH, of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Crohn’s and Colitis Center. Since both are diarrhea-predominant, there is a lot of symptoms overlap. Read more.

Managing ‘silent’ postoperative Crohn’s disease

In a presentation at Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Miguel Regueiro, MD, chair of the department of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Cleveland Clinic, discussed the management of postoperative Crohn's disease and what the road ahead looks like in 2020 and beyond. Read more.

Early referral does not mean early surgery in IBD

Surgeons have become an important part of an inflammatory bowel disease care team. While there were only a handful of surgeons who participated in meetings with patients, Feza H. Remzi, MD, of NYU Langone School of Medicine, said it is now much more common. Read more.

Testing for loss of response could shape future IBD care

Adding genetic testing to the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease may present an opportunity to determine which patients are at greater risk for loss of response and help select the best therapies for each individual patient, according to an expert. Read more.