title: Combined therapy with 5-aminosalicylic tablets and enemas for maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis.
abstract: A combined therapy with 5-aminosalicylic (5-ASA) tablets (1.6gr/day) and 5-ASA enemas (4gr/twice weekly) was evaluated for maintaining remission of ulcerative colitis in 40 patients. All patients were in complete remission which had been maintained for at least 1 month. The remission was assessed by clinical, endoscopic and histological criteria. Clinical and endoscopical evaluations were performed at intervals of 2 and 6 months, respectively. The relapse-rate associated with this combined therapy was 7.5% at 6 months and 16% at 12 months. In comparison with previous investigations using continuous sulphasalazine, our study showed that the combination of 5-aminosalicylic tablets and enemas provided low relapse rates both at 6 and 12 months, suggesting a potential effectiveness in this form of treatment. Further studies are needed to confirm this result with controlled clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa di Gastroenterologia, U.S.L. 10/D, Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: d'Albasio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trallori
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gavazzi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bardazzi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vannozzi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Frittelli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cini
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Falai
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Varini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morettini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000636:Aminosalicylic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004733:Enema; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019804:Mesalamine; D008875:Middle Aged; D013607:Tablets; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000636:Aminosalicylic Acids; D013607:Tablets; D019804:Mesalamine