In the stepwise approach, which categories are represented by FRD, ARE, and IRE?

• A. They refer to inflammatory bowel disease types only
• B. FRD, ARE, and IRE stand for Food-Responsive Disease, Antibiotic-Responsive Enteropathy, and Immune-Mediated Enteropathy
• C. They are liver diseases
• D. They are forms of alimentary canal infections

Answer: (B)

The items FRD, ARE, and IRE represent categories defined by how the disease responds to treatment in chronic enteropathy. FRD stands for Food-Responsive Disease, ARE for Antibiotic-Responsive Enteropathy, and IRE for Immune-Mediated Enteropathy. In the stepwise approach, a patient with chronic enteropathy is first managed with a dietary trial to see if signs resolve with a change in diet (FRD). If there’s no adequate response, an antibiotic trial is tried to determine if bacterial factors are driving the issue (ARE). If symptoms persist despite diet and antibiotics, treatment shifts toward addressing immune-mediated inflammation (IRE). This framework focuses on therapy response rather than naming a liver condition or an infectious disease, which is why these are the correct categories.