Nutritional Therapy Versus 6-Mercaptopurine as Maintenance Therapy in Patients with Crohn's Disease

This study compared the efficacy of an elemental diet (Elental) versus 6-mercaptopurine as maintenance therapy in 95 patients with Crohn's disease over 24 months. Patients were divided into three groups: 6-mercaptopurine (n=30), Elental (n=32), and a control group (n=33), all receiving 5-aminosalicylic acid. The remission rates were 60% for 6-mercaptopurine, 46.9% for Elental, and 27.2% for the control group. Both 6-mercaptopurine and Elental were significantly more effective than the control, with no significant difference between them. However, 6-mercaptopurine had side effects, including liver injury and alopecia. The study concluded that Elental is a viable long-term maintenance therapy for Crohn's disease, comparable to 6-mercaptopurine.