Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease of the digestive tract and up to 20-30% of UC patients may suffer a severe flare-up during the course of the disease. Although there are national and international recommendations about its clinical management, there is not enough information about the treatment of acute severe UC in clinical practice.
An electronic and anonymous survey with 51 multiple-choice questions was performed among all the members of the Spanish Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Working Group (GETECCU).
Out of the 164 responders (20%), most were gastroenterologists (95%), with 59% from tertiary hospitals treating a median of 5 patients per year (IQR: 3-8) with a severe flare-up of ulcerative colitis. An endoscopic examination was routinely performed in 86% of patients (62% at admission). The most commonly used corticosteroid was methylprednisolone, usually at a dose of 60mg/day, and its response was assessed after a median of 3days (IQR: 3-5). Both in thiopurine-naïve and thiopurine-refractory patients, infliximab was the drug most frequently prescribed as rescue therapy. Half of responders (55%) had ever prescribed a first dose of infliximab higher than 5 mg/kg, and a higher proportion (73%) had ever prescribed an earlier dose of infliximab in the second or third infusion.
Acute severe UC is generally managed according to current treatment guidelines in our setting. The rescue therapy most commonly prescribed is infliximab, and the use of intensified or accelerated regimens with this biological drug is not unusual.