A comparison of prednisolone enemas with low-dose oral prednisolone in the treatment of acute distal ulcerative colitis

Abstract
The therapeutic efficacy of prednisolone metasulfobenzoate enemas in the treatment of distal colitis was compared with that of low-dose oral prednisolone, in a single-blind, cross-over trial. Treatment with steroid enemas resulted in symptomatic and sigmoidoscopic evidence of improvement more frequently than treatment with a dosage of oral steroid calculated to achieve similar plasma prednisolone levels. Prednisolone mtasulfobenzoate enemas are effective in the treatment of colitis. Possibly, their efficacy is due to a local action rather than systemic absorption.