Medical therapy for ulcerative colitis.
Last year was not a banner year for developments in medical therapy for ulcerative colitis. In contrast to the expansion of therapies for Crohn disease, treatment for ulcerative colitis was evolutionary, at best, leading many patients to seek alternative medical approaches. Nevertheless, there have been advances in the application of aminosalicylates and immune modifiers for ulcerative colitis. Additional, nonconventional approaches include nicotine, probiotics, dietary therapies, and heparins. Several novel approaches have arisen from animal models, including additional means of inhibiting nuclear factor-kappaB and targeting of tumor necrosis factor-alpha.
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Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. shanauer@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu