Chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by recurring and often ongoing flares. The most common forms of IBD are Crohns disease and Ulcerative colitis.
Stopping the inflammatory cycle with TNFalpha blockers
The chronic inflammation is based on immunresponse which got out of balance and contiunuously sends signals to enhance the excretion of TNFalpha (tumornecrosefactor alpha). This signalling cascade can be interrupted by certain drugs such as TNFalpha blockers. They thus stop the inflammation. Infliximab (Remicade®, RemsimaTM, Inflectra®) as well as Adalimumab (Humira®) are such drugs and are often used to treat IBD.
Drug-Monitoring of TNFalpha blockers
Drug monitoring is essential for the successful treatment with TNFalpha blockers. By regular monitoring of the drug concentration in the blood, the optimal dosage can be determined individually for each patient. This differs from person to person due to differences in the metabolism.
Drug monitoring with RIDASCREEN® IFX Monitoring
Drug-Monitoring of Infliximab can be performed with RIDASCREEN® IFX Monitoring. The assay is based on the test which has been developed by the KU Leuven and has been validated in clinical trials.
Monitoring of the Degree of Inflammation
In parallel to the drug monitoring the success of the treatment, so the reduction of inflammation can be checked by ongoing analysis of Calprotectin in stool. Calprotectin is a protein, that is present in cells of the immune system and which is release in the course of inflammation processes. The concentration on calprotectin in stool correlates with the degree of inflammation in the gut.
The calprotectin concentration can e.g. be determined with the RIDASCREEN® Calprotectin.
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