Title: Acute Severe Colitis: Infliximab and/or Cyclosporine?
VOLUME: 12 ISSUE: 10
Author(s):Mauro Fabro, Hajnalka Szabo, Giovanni Terrosu, Claudio Avellini, Maria Tabuso, Gionata Fiorino and Dario Sorrentino
Affiliation:Cattedra di Gastroenterologia, Pad. Scrosoppi, Via Colugna, 33100 Udine, Italy.
Keywords:Severe Colitis, Corticosteroids, Cyclosporine, Infliximab, Colectomy, Sigmoidoscopy
Abstract: Acute severe ulcerative colitis is a serious condition that requires early hospitalization, with intensive monitoring and treatment. Despite the recent progress in the medical approach of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases acute severe ulcerative colitis remains a clinical challenge, with a mortality rate of nearly 1%.
As of today, I.V. corticosteroids remain the 1st-line therapy for this complication. For non-responders (up to one-third of patients) possible options are surgery - whose timing is a critical point in the overall management of the disease - or rescue therapy with 2nd- line agents such as Cyclosporine and Infliximab. Here we will review the published studies dealing with the use of these medications in acute severe ulcerative colitis.
