Inflammatory Bowel Disease

MEErKAT MEsenteric Excision and Kono-s Anastomosis Trial

Addressing priority 1: NIHR research in progress

Many surgeons feel that the way the bowel and the tissue containing the blood and other vessels supplying the bowel (the mesentery) is removed and the way the healthy bowel ends are re-joined can affect the chances of getting further disease. This research tests two new types of surgery to assess whether they are better than usual methods in stopping further disease.

Management of Diarrhoea in patients with stable ulcerative colitis: multi-arm multi-stage trial of low FODMAP diet, amitriptyline, ondansetron or loperamide (MODULATE)

Addressing priority 6: NIHR research in progress

We want to find out whether treatments used for diarrhoea in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can help people with stable ulcerative colitis (UC) and diarrhoea, with no sign of active bowel inflammation. In IBS, a low FODMAP diet improves diarrhoea, because some poorly absorbed sugars (FODMAPs) increase small intestinal water content. Drugs like ondansetron (an anti-sickness drug), amitriptyline (an old-fashioned anti-depressant drug), or loperamide (an anti-diarrhoeal drug) can also be effective in IBS with diarrhoea. This is because they change bowel activity, and can relieve tummy pain. These treatments may therefore help people with UC with diarrhoea who have no active bowel inflammation, but we are unsure as there are no large studies. This project is due to commence April 2019 and end December 2022

Optimal treatment strategies for fistulising perianal Crohn's disease

Addressing priority 5: Commissioning brief advertised to researchers by the NIHR HTA Programme.

Crohn’s Disease

Addressing any of the relevant priorities in the Top 10:forCrohns and Core announced a joint call for research projects on Crohn’s Disease in 2018, asking that researchers focus on once of the priorities identified by the PSP. More information about the two projects they funded is shown at the weblink.