Abstract
Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are forms of inflamatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is a group of chronic diseases causing disability and requiring repeated hospitalizations, with worldwide increasing incidence.
Treatment of peadiatric CD usually consists of two basic steps. The first is induction of remission, which is subsequently followed by long-term immunosuppressive therapy - which are, based on recent recommendations, thiopurines.
According to previous studies aproximatelly 50% of patients relapse within two years of starting the thiopurine treatment and require a change in the therapeutic process. According to data from the adult population the long-term prognosis of the disease is significently influenced by progression of inflammation or development of complications.
Early initiation of an intensive therapeutic regime could prevent the progression of inflammation and the development of complications and thus, if applied correctly, influence the long-term prognosis of the disease. The possibility of early failure prediction, allowing the selection of a group of high risk patients primarily chosen for different therapeutic approach, is with current level of knowledge non-satisfactory in both peadiatric and adult populations.