Abstract
Background and Aims: Ulcerative colitis is an idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disease with a high relapse rate. Smoking contributes to the development and progression of ulcerative colitis. We determined total rectal wall thickness in patients with ulcerative colitis who had a smoking history. Materials and Methods: We included 19 patients with ulcerative colitis (ulcerative colitis group) and 19 controls (control group) and compared total rectal wall thickness among them. Total rectal wall thickness was significantly greater in the ulcerative colitis group. We also compared total rectal wall thickness between patients with and without smoking history in both groups. Results: Of the 19 patients with ulcerative colitis, 4 and 15 were females and males, respectively, with a mean age of 46.8±13.3 years. Of the 19 controls, 5 and 14 were females and males, respectively, with a mean age of 46.6±11.8 years. While 9 patients with ulcerative colitis were active, 10 were in remission. The median (interquartile range) total rectal wall thickness was significantly higher in the ulcerative colitis group (4.1 mm [3.1–4.6]) than in the control group (2.5 mm [2.0-3.7]) (p=0.003). The median total rectal wall thickness was significantly higher in patients with ulcerative colitis and a smoking history than in those without (4.6 mm [4.3-4.9] vs. 3.8 mm [2.6-4.1], respectively; p=0.025). Total rectal wall thickness did not differ according to smoking history in the control group. Conclusion: Smoking history is associated with total rectal wall thickness increase patients with ulcerative colitis on transrectal ultrasonography.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have