ISSN:
1573-2568
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary The clinical course of 52 patients with ulcerative colitis in response to treatment with ACTH and adrenalcorticosteroids has been reviewed. Seventeen of these patients were maintained on continuous therapy for from 3 to 62 months, with an average follow-up period of 19 months. These preparations are potent agents capable of inducing dramatic remissions in a majority of instances when employed in adequate dosage. In this regard ACTH is more effective than cortisone or its synthetic analogue prednisone. Favorable responses, though unpredictable and subject to frequent relapse, may be obtained even in long-standing chronic and recurrent disease in all clinical aspects except in regard to the abnormal appearance of the bowel. The indications for steroid therapy, its limitations and potential risks, are reviewed in relation to established forms and results of treatment in the presteroid era. The suppressive, rather than the curative, value of these drugs is emphasized. The value of treatment prolonged beyond the initial period of an acute remission is more impressive clinically than statistically. The futility of prolonging ineffective therapy beyond a trial of 3 weeks is confirmed; the implications of such persistence in adding to the hazard of bowel disintegration and perforation are noted.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02231380
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