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Short report: comparison of two doses of balsalazide in maintaining ulcerative colitis in remission over 12 months
Author(s) -
GREEN J. R. B.,
SWAN C. H. J.,
ROWLINSON A.,
GIBSON J. A.,
BROWN P.,
KERR G. D.,
SWARBRICK E. T.,
THORNTON P.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2036.1992.tb00578.x
Subject(s) - ulcerative colitis , medicine , gastroenterology , complete remission , colitis , spontaneous remission , randomized controlled trial , prospective cohort study , sulfasalazine , chemotherapy , disease , pathology , alternative medicine
SUMMARY In a four‐centre prospective double‐blind trial, 108 patients with ulcerative colitis in remission were randomized to receive balsalazide in doses of 3 g or 6 g/day for 12 months. The patients were assessed at 3‐monthly intervals clinically, sigmoidoscopically and with routine haematology and biochemistry. Remission rates of 77% (3 g/day) and 68% (6 g/day) at 12 months were not significantly different. Intolerance reactions leading to withdrawal from the study occurred in only 9 patients (8%), all occurring in the first 7 weeks of the study. Balsalazide is therefore both highly effective in maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis and well tolerated in both conventional and high dosage (the latter equivalent to 5.5 g/day of sulphasalazine). In this study no distinct advantage in maintenance of remission has been found for the higher dose of balsalazide.