Resistant Ulcerative Colitis Research Articles

Cyclosporine and inflammatory bowel disease: buying time.

Cyclosporine is an effective drug in acute exacerbations of corticosteroid resistant ulcerative colitis, but its efficacy to maintain disease remission is not clear. Cyclosporine may not be as effective in Crohn's disease. However, being a rapidly acting immunosuppressant, cyclosporine may be a valuable therapeutic option in the short-term to treat corticosteroid resistant Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Smoking and nicotine in inflammatory bowel disease: good or bad for cytokines?

Smoking has either a beneficial or harmful effect on the course and recurrence of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease respectively. Transdermal application of nicotine had similar effects in ulcerative colitis and therefore was considered to be an effective basic drug which could be further developed in the search for new compounds in the treatment of acute exacerbations of corticosteroid resistant ulcerative colitis. In this communication the short-term use of nicotine in ulcerative colitis is reviewed.

Long-term prognosis of children with ulcerative colitis.

The subsequent course of ulcerative colitis in 25 children admitted to hospital during the period 1931 to 1971 is reviewed. The period of observation averaged 24 years, ranging from 1 to 41 years. 19 patients showed extracolonic manifestations. 4 patients had a single attack of colitis, and in 19 the disease was of the chronic intermittent type. There was one case each of the acute fulminating and chronic continuous types. Three of 8 patients who had colectomy died postoperatively. One further patient died later of carcinoma of the rectal stump. At follow-up 5 patients (20%) had died and the remaining 20 (80%) were in remission. Although the case for surgery in the treatment of acute fulminating or resistant ulcerative colitis may be clear, that for prophylactic panproctocolectomy while the disease is in remission requires further study.