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There are billions of bacteria in the human gut and they are referred to as the gut microbiome. Its role in health and disease is the subject of extensive research. Imbalance of the normal gut microbiota, or dysbiosis, is thought to be ...

Gut Reaction #15: The LINX procedure for Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD) Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease, or GORD, is a chronic relapsing condition whereby stomach acid refluxes back into the lower part of the gullet, or oesophagus, due to a weak muscle ...

Gut Reaction #14: Risankizumab - Targeting interleukin 23 for Crohn’s disease The Lancet recently published results from a study which assessed the efficacy and safety of risankizumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets interleukin-23 only (ustekinumab targets interleukin-21 and 23), in ...

Functional disorders concern both mind and body – a patient’s emotional and psychological state can affect, or create, physical symptoms. These symptoms are absolutely genuine but are not due to an underlying physical abnormality or disease. Therefore patients may display ...

Filgotinib is a Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitor, that was reported in The Lancet to show positive results in patients with Crohn’s disease. Filgotinib is a “small molecule drug” that is taken by mouth & unlike the existing treatments for ...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects up to 20% of the UK population with women at least twice as likely to be affected as men. Common symptoms include bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort. While there is no clearly defined cause of ...

Ustekinumab is a drug designed to mimic normal human molecules, and for this reason is called a ‘biological’ drug. Results of a large well-conducted trial found that it is significantly better than placebo at inducing and maintaining remission in patients ...

Tofacitinib is a new JAK inhibitor taken by mouth 10mg twice daily. Recent trials (OCTAVE) have shown significant benefit in patients with moderately active UC. The patients had previous failure or intolerance to conventional treatments. Patients receiving tofacitinib were significantly ...

A recent study found that 12 weeks of yoga led to an improvement in quality of life, mental health and reduced disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Patients with UC in clinical remission but with "impaired quality of life" ...

Over the last 40 years, a possible association between oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use and Crohn’s disease (CD) has been considered but there was no conclusive evidence to confirm or refute this. A new large and long-term study has helped ...