Drug treatment of ulcerative colitis: unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparins and beyond.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterised by chronic inflammation of the colon of unknown aetiology. Medical treatment of UC is complex and sometimes unsatisfactory. A total of 75% of patients experience relapses during the course of their illness and 20 - 25% require a colostomy. Recent years have witnessed a paradigm shift in the way UC is medically treated. The focus has now shifted to newer forms of therapy along with the older established drugs such as sulfasalazine and corticosteroids. Unfractionated heparin and low molecular weight heparins have been tested for their efficacy in patients with UC with conflicting results in various studies. Immunosuppressive and immune-based therapies, drugs modifying biological responses, prebiotics, probiotics, symbiotics, melatonin and topical butyrate have all been tested with variable success. The current review delineates the recent therapeutic alternatives in UC with main emphasis on heparins.
Malhotra
Samir
S
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India. samirmalhotra345@yahoo.com
Bhasin
Deepak
D
Shafiq
Nusrat
N
Pandhi
Promila
P
D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005544:Forecasting; D006493:Heparin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India
D006493:Heparin