Vnitr Lek 2026, 72(4):215-223 | DOI: 10.36290/vnl.2026.045

Inflammatory bowel diseases - current situation in the Czech Republic and future perspectives

Václav Štěpánek¹, Martin Bortlík^{1, 2, 3, 4}

¹ Gastroenterologické oddělení, Nemocnice České Budějovice

² Interní klinika 1. LF UK a Ústřední vojenské nemocnice, Praha

³ Farmakologický ústav 1. LF UK, Praha

⁴ Zdravotně sociální fakulta, Jihočeská univerzita, České Budějovice

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis belong to chronic inflammatory conditions (IBD) with increasing prevalence. In the Czech Republic, the current prevalence reaches 1%. Both conditions require long-term medical therapy that consists of conventional and advanced drugs (biologics and small molecules). Advanced therapy is more effective and safer compared to conventional drugs and should be preferred in patients with moderate to severe disease. In the Czech Republic, IBD patients with advanced drugs are enrolled into the registry called CREdIT. The proportion of such patients is, however, low compared to most developerd countries in the Europe. On the other hand, the proportsion of patient on long-term systemic steroids is too high, so is the proportion of Crohn's disease patients treated with aminosalicylates. Therapeutic outcomes in IBD patients can be improved by early initiation of advanced therapy.

Keywords: inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, advanced therapy.

Accepted: June 11, 2026; Published: June 24, 2026  Show citation