Oral mesalazine (5-ASA) treatment may protect against proximal extension of mucosal inflammation in ulcerative proctitis.
OBJECTIVE
Studies aimed at establishing which characteristics of patients with ulcerative proctitis could be predictive of the extension of inflammation have failed to provide conclusive results. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic role of clinical and therapeutic parameters in patients with proctitis.


METHODS
Case records of 138 patients with ulcerative proctitis were retrospectively evaluated. The following parameters were considered: gender; age at onset of disease; smoking habits; histologic severity of disease at onset; mean number of clinical relapses of disease per year; mean duration of oral and topical mesalazine treatment; and number of topical corticosteroid treatments per year.


RESULTS
Twenty-eight patients were excluded from the analysis for different reasons. During follow-up, inflammation spread proximally in 33 of 110 patients (30%). Patients with extended proctitis showed a significantly higher number of relapses and a shorter duration of oral mesalazine treatment than patients with nonprogressive proctitis (p < 0.001 for both). The multivariate analysis also found that the mean duration of topical mesalazine treatment was longer in patients with extended proctitis.


CONCLUSIONS
Ulcerative proctitis patients with more frequent relapses who need a longer duration of topical therapy are at higher risk of extension of the disease, while a more prolonged oral mesalazine treatment period protects against the proximal spread of rectal inflammation.
Pica
Roberta
R
Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Paoluzi
Omero Alessandro
OA
Iacopini
Federico
F
Marcheggiano
Adriana
A
Crispino
Pietro
P
Rivera
Margherita
M
Bella
Antonino
A
Consolazio
Adriana
A
Paoluzi
Paolo
P
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D019804:Mesalamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D019804:Mesalamine