Inflammatory Bowel Disease 2018: Consistency and Controversy

Recent research has reckoned the human digestive tract as the arena where inflammatory processes are continuously waxing and waning. A driving force for this inflammatory lingering has been identified with the huge indwelling microbiome population, which, notably, becomes easily upset by lifestyle changes influencing diet composition. Thus, the microbiome may act as the element linking gut inflammation with individual life habits, allowing to imagine a continuum of inflammation intensity corresponding to the strength of the perturbing event playing at any time. If this mind frame may please basic researchers, it is of poor help to clinicians seeking sharply designed drugs for demarcated conditions. It may be anticipated that this clash between basic science and real-world medicine will affect future medical practice well beyond the limits of gastroenterology.