Anti-inflammatory Drugs and the Gastrointestinal Tract

Inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in particular, are significant medical problems. IBD is a term that covers two chronic and relapsing inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract—Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Significant progress was made in IBD treatment by introducing novel drug formulations, developing Janus kinase inhibitors, and biologics such as TNF-α, integrin, and interleukin 12/23 inhibitors. The effects of these drugs and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the gastrointestinal tract will be briefly reviewed.