title: Natural history of ulcerative colitis: current knowledge.
abstract: The clinical presentation at the time of diagnosis and the disease course of ulcerative colitis (UC) are heterogeneous and variable over time. In population-based epidemiological follow-up studies from the last decades, the extent of UC has shown only slight variation. At diagnosis, the initial extent is evenly distributed among proctitis, left-sided, and extensive colitis with some exceptions. The disease course may vary from a single attack to chronic symptoms that reduce the quality of life as well as lead to disease extension, colectomy or even to the development of colitis-associated colorectal cancer in some cases. Important predictive clinical factors and biomarkers of disease course have been under increasing scrutiny. Those identified may eventually lead to a more personalized, tailored therapy. In this review article, the authors summarize the available evidence on the natural history and predictive markers for evaluating the course of UC.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Lajos Sandor
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: Peter Laszlo
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lakatos
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D018450:Disease Progression; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers