title: Strategies for the care of adults hospitalized for active ulcerative colitis.
abstract: Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon; as many as 25% of patients with this disease require hospitalization. The goals of hospitalization are to assess disease severity, exclude infection, administer rapidly acting and highly effective medication regimens, and determine response. During hospitalization, patients should be given venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and monitored for the development of toxic megacolon. Patients who do not respond to intravenous corticosteroids should be considered for rescue therapy with infliximab or cyclosporine. Patients who are refractory to medical therapies or who develop toxic megacolon should be evaluated promptly for colectomy. Patients who do respond to medical therapies should be discharged on an appropriate maintenance regimen when they meet discharge criteria. We review practical evidence-based management principles and propose a day-by-day algorithm for managing patients hospitalized for ulcerative colitis.
authors: Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Division of Gastroenterology, University of California San Diego Health System, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors: Suresh
authors: S
authors: Pola
authors: Derek
authors: D
authors: Patel
authors: Sonia
authors: S
authors: Ramamoorthy
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: McLemore
authors: Marianne
authors: M
authors: Fahmy
authors: Jesus
authors: J
authors: Rivera-Nieves
authors: John T
authors: JT
authors: Chang
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Evans
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Docherty
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Talamini
authors: William J
authors: WJ
authors: Sandborn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008532:Megacolon, Toxic / Q000517:prevention & control; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents