This Trends in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy Symposium was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 27 29 August 1999. This is the seventh international symposium, sponsored by Axcan Pharma Canada Inc., since the first symposium in 1986. The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology has co-sponsored these symposia since 1990. Each symposium has been published, and reflects and updates the extensive research and education, and the understanding of the mechanisms and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. From the beginning, Canadian and international experts have been involved, maintaining a consistently high quality, both in their presentations, during discussions, and the subsequent publication of their work. There have been major advances since the symposium held two years ago, and these are presented in this book. In keeping with modern educational practice, objectives are provided, and all presentations were subject to written independent evalu ation. All participants are asked to declare any conflicts of interest. MOCOMP and educational credits are available."

This Trends in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy Symposium was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 27 29 August 1999. This is the seventh international symposium, sponsored by Axcan Pharma Canada Inc., since the first symposium in 1986. The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology has co-sponsored these symposia since 1990. Each symposium has been published, and reflects and updates the extensive research and education, and the understanding of the mechanisms and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. From the beginning, Canadian and international experts have been involved, maintaining a consistently high quality, both in their presentations, during discussions, and the subsequent publication of their work. There have been major advances since the symposium held two years ago, and these are presented in this book. In keeping with modern educational practice, objectives are provided, and all presentations were subject to written independent evalu ation. All participants are asked to declare any conflicts of interest. MOCOMP and educational credits are available."

This volume is the proceedings of the symposium 'Trends in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy 1999' held in Vancouver, Canada, August 27-29, 1999, and sponsored by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada and Axcan Pharma. It is the seventh international IBD symposium to be held in Canada and focuses on all areas of IBD therapy.Topics include: genetics; pathogenesis with reference to the role of autoimmunity, bacterial factors and neutrophil -- epithelial interactions; special clinical problems such as difficult diagnoses and challenges presented by children and the elderly; bone disease in IBD; an overview of current therapy; and a discussion of alternative therapy.