Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can develop complications from the disease itself and also from the immunosuppressive therapies used to treat it. To optimize care for patients with IBD, clinicians need to consider primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Primary prevention is used to prevent disease or complications from developing, such as vaccination. This review highlights prevention methods that can be used in patients with IBD through a partnership between the primary care provider and the gastroenterology department.

Disturbances in the gut microbiota disrupt mucosal homeostasis and are strongly associated with human IBD and murine colitis. Therefore, preventing or correcting microbiome imbalance can be considered as a new prevention or treatment strategy for IBD.

Many microorganisms play a role in gut health; they include bacteria, fungi, and viruses that exist in dynamic equilibrium to maintain mucosal homeostasis. Disturbances in the gut microbiota disrupt mucosal homeostasis and are strongly associated with human IBD and murine colitis. Therefore, preventing or correcting microbiome imbalance can be considered as a new prevention or treatment strategy for IBD.

Many microorganisms play a role in gut health; they include bacteria, fungi, and viruses that exist in dynamic equilibrium to maintain mucosal homeostasis. Disturbances in the gut microbiota disrupt mucosal homeostasis and are strongly associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in humans and colitis in mice. Therefore, preventing or correcting microbiome imbalance can be considered as a new prevention or treatment strategy for IBD.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which has been listed by the World Health Organization as one of the most difficult diseases to cure, includes ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) and shows a continuously increasing incidence. Although genetic, epigenetic, immunological, microbial and environmental factors are involved in the etiology of IBD, no factor has been identified as a clear and direct cause of IBD.

This article reviews the most recent evidence on direct or indirect interventions targeting the gut microbiota for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to overcome current limitations of IBD therapies and shed light on personalized treatment options.