What would you tell this patient about the use of diet as a treatment modality for IBD?
There is no data supporting the use of diet in the treatment of IBD and he should consider thiopurine use if he is averse to starting a biologic.
Incorrect, try again! The patient should not be started on an immuno-modulator, as this is likely associated with more side effects in comparison to biologics.
He is potentially a candidate to trial diet as a treatment modality for his Crohn’s disease, however, he would benefit from meeting with a dedicated IBD dietitian to discuss further.
Correct! The current data supports the use of enteral nutrition (either exclusively or as part of a diet such as with the Crohn’s disease exclusion diet) as a therapeutic modality for patients with mild to moderate Crohn’s disease. It is important that all patients with IBD who are considering dietary therapeutics discuss with an IBD dedicated dietitian when possible.
He is not a candidate for dietary therapy, as there is only data supporting the use of diet in ulcerative colitis and not Crohn’s disease.
Incorrect, choose again! There is no consensus data on the use of enteral nutrition in patients with ulcerative colitis.
He should undergo food allergy testing to identify which foods may be a trigger for his disease.
Incorrect, choose again! There is no data for elimination diets based on allergy testing (especially skin testing).
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