Second United Arab Emirates consensus guidance on the diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease

doi:10.3748/wjg.v31.i35.109882

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World Journal of Gastroenterology

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1007-9327

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

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World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2025; 31(35): 109882
Published online Sep 21, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i35.109882

Second United Arab Emirates consensus guidance on the diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease

Sameer Al Awadhi, Abdulla Al Hassani, Sara El Ouali, Mohammad Badre Alam, Cecilio Azar, Filippos Georgopoulos, Ahmad N Jazzar, Ahmed M Khassouan, Zaher Koutoubi, Rahul A Nathwani, Mohammed Nabil Quraishi

Sameer Al Awadhi, Ahmed M Khassouan, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rashid Hospital, Dubai Health, Dubai 4545, United Arab Emirates

Abdulla Al Hassani, Department of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy, Zayed Military Hospital, Abu Dhabi 00000, United Arab Emirates

Sara El Ouali, Mohammad Badre Alam, Zaher Koutoubi, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 00000, United Arab Emirates

Cecilio Azar, Department of Gastroenterology, Clemenceau Medical Center, Dubai 00000, United Arab Emirates

Filippos Georgopoulos, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Al Zahra Hospital, Dubai 00000, United Arab Emirates

Ahmad N Jazzar, Department of Gastroenterology, Burjeel Day Surgery Center, Abu Dhabi 00000, United Arab Emirates

Rahul A Nathwani, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mediclinic City Hospital, Mohammed Bin Rashid University, Dubai 11111, United Arab Emirates

Mohammed Nabil Quraishi, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Pure Health, Abu Dhabi 00000, United Arab Emirates

Author contributions: Al Awadhi S, Al Hassani A, El Ouali S, Alam MB, Azar C, Georgopoulos F, Jazzar AN, Khassouan AM, Koutoubi Z, and Nathwani RA contributed to the discussion, voting on statements via Delphi methodology, and critical revision of the manuscript; Quraishi MN designed the study, performed the literature review, drafted the initial consensus statements, and drafted the final manuscript; All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Supported by Emirates Gastroenterology and Hepatology Society, No. 001802.

Conflict-of-interest statement: Al Awadhi S reports personal fees from Abbvie, Takeda, and Eli Lilly, outside the submitted work; El Ouali S reports personal fees from Takeda, Abbvie, Johnson & Johnson, and Eli Lilly, outside the submitted work; Alam MB reports personal fees from Hikma, Abbvie, Abbott, Johnson and Johnson, Takeda, Eli Lilly, and Sandoz, outside the submitted work; Azar C reports personal fees from Johnson and Johnson, Abbvie, Takeda, and Eli Lilly, outside the submitted work; Georgopoulos F reports personal fees from Spimaco, Abbvie, Sanofi, Janssen, Takeda, Eli Lilly, and Sandoz, outside the submitted work; Jazzar AN reports personal fees from Johnson and Johnson, Abbvie, Takeda, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Sandoz, Amgen, and Organon, outside the submitted work; Khassouan AM reports personal fees from Johnson and Johnson, Abbvie, Takeda, and Eli Lilly, outside the submitted work; Koutoubi Z reports personal fees from Johnson and Johnson, Abbvie, Eli Lilly, and Takeda, outside the submitted work; Nathwani RA reports personal fees from Johnson and Johnson, Abbvie, Eli Lilly, Takeda, Sandoz, Amgen, Organon, and Tillots, outside the submitted work; Quraishi MN reports personal fees from Johnson and Johnson, Abbvie, Takeda, Eli Lilly, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, outside the submitted work. Al Hassani A declares that they have no conflict of interest.

Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Corresponding author: Mohammed Nabil Quraishi, PhD, FRCP, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Pure Health, Al Mafraq, Abu Dhabi 00000, United Arab Emirates. nabilquraishi@gmail.com

Received: May 26, 2025
Revised: July 14, 2025
Accepted: August 25, 2025
Published online: September 21, 2025
Processing time: 117 Days and 3.4 Hours

Abstract

The second edition of the United Arab Emirates inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) consensus guidance provides updated recommendations for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring IBD. Significant therapeutic advances and evolving treatment paradigms since 2020 (including risk stratification and treat-to-target approaches) necessitated this comprehensive update to standardize care across the United Arab Emirates. Developed via Delphi consensus methodology, this guidance incorporates a systematic literature review and key international guidelines. It presents 188 summary statements covering the full spectrum of IBD care, including complex scenarios like perianal disease and pregnancy. Key updates feature guidance on newer pharmacologic therapies - interleukin-23, Janus kinase, and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor inhibitors - with refined therapeutic positioning informed by recent head-to-head trials. The consensus emphasizes early, effective treatment to prevent irreversible bowel damage, optimization strategies like therapeutic drug monitoring, and achieving objective treat-to-target goals to improve long-term outcomes. Recognizing local healthcare system challenges, it offers practical recommendations on reducing variability and enhancing equitable access to IBD care. By integrating current clinical evidence with United Arab Emirates-specific considerations, the second edition United Arab Emirates IBD consensus guidance aims to standardize care across sectors, provide a benchmark for payers and policymakers, optimize treatment outcomes, and improve IBD outcomes, aligning national practice with international standards.

Keywords: Inflammatory bowel disease; Crohn’s disease; Ulcerative colitis; Consensus guidance; United Arab Emirates

Core Tip: This second edition of the United Arab Emirates inflammatory bowel disease consensus guidance offers updated national recommendations due to significant therapeutic advances since the first edition. Developed via Delphi methodology, its 188 statements cover diagnosis, newer pharmacotherapies interleukin-23, Janus kinase 1, and sphingosine-1-phosphate inhibitors), treat-to-target strategies, and special considerations including inflammatory bowel disease in pregnancy and complex disease. It emphasizes early effective treatment and addresses local challenges, aiming to standardize United Arab Emirates practice, inform policy, and align with international standards to improve patient outcomes.