Ulcerative colitis as a progressive disease: The forgotten evidence

Joana Torres, Vincent Billioud, David B. Sachar, Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet, Jean Fred́éric Colombel*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

220 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In the management of Crohn's disease, earlier aggressive treatment is becoming accepted as a strategy to prevent or retard progression to irreversible bowel damage. It is not yet clear, however, if this same concept should be applied to ulcerative colitis. Hence, we review herein the long-term structural and functional consequences of this latter disease. Disease progression in ulcerative colitis takes six principal forms: proximal extension, stricturing, pseudopolyposis, dysmotility, anorectal dysfunction, and impaired permeability. The precise incidence of these complications and the ability of earlier, more aggressive treatment to prevent them have yet to be determined.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1356-1363
Number of pages8
JournalInflammatory Bowel Diseases
Volume18
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2012

Keywords

  • Bowel damage
  • Complications of IBD
  • Ulcerative colitis

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