Doença inflamatória intestinal: como funciona o tratamento nutricional?

Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory pathology of the gastrointestinal tract caused by a dysregulated immune response against the commensal intestinal microbiome. The goals of therapy are to achieve and maintain disease remission, preventing its progression. Nutritional therapy is associated with changed intestinal microflora, improved mucosal barrier function and direct anti-inflammatory effect. Aim: To understand the functioning and effectiveness of nutritional treatment in the evolution of inflammatory bowel disease. Review of data on nutritional treatment in pediatric age. Materials and Methods: A bibliographic revision of scientific online reviews was conducted, gathering and comparing different sets of data found in the referred sources. Results: Exclusive enteral nutrition is as effective as corticosteroid therapy in inducing remission of active Crohn's disease. In maintaining remission, data are scarce, but nutritional therapy appears to decrease the risk of relapse. Conclusion: Exclusive enteral nutrition is currently the first line to induce remission of active Crohn's disease and shows a reduced risk of relapse in maintaining remission in children with IBD.