Topical treatment of active distal ulcerative colitis with beclomethasone dipropionate

Abstract

Forty patients with mild or moderately active distal ulcerative colitis were treated for 6 weeks with daily enemas containing beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) 3 mg or hydrocortisone hemisuccinate (HHS) 100 mg. Each treatment group consisted of 20 patients who were comparable in age, sex, duration of disease, clinical activity, endoscopic scores, and rectal biopsy. Rectoscopy was performed and clinical scores were determined before and after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment; routine blood tests were done at the start and end of the study. Five patients in the BDP group and 3 patients in the HHS group did not respond to therapy. Clinical and endoscopic remission was obtained in 9 patients treated with BDP and in 10 patients given HHS; improvement was noted in 6 patients in the BDP group and in 7 patients in the HHS group. No differences in clinical and endoscopic scores were found between the two treatment groups. Mild moon face developed in two patients receiving HHS. The similar clinical and endoscopic improvement obtained in patients treated with BDP and HHS enemas and the absence of side effects with BDP suggest that topical BDP is a valid alternative in the treatment of active distal ulcerative colitis.