The Prophylactic Effect of Salazosulphapyridine in Ulcerative Colitis during Long-Term Treatment

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Abstract
Riis, P., Anthonisen, P., Wulff, H. R., Folkenborg, O., Bonnevie, O. & Binder, Vibeke. 1973. The Prophylactic Effect of Salazosulphapyridine in Ulcerative Colitis during Long-Term Treatment. A Double-Blind Trial on Patients Asymptomatic for One Year. Scand. J. Gastroent. 8, 71-74. The present trial is intended to show how long prophylactic treatment with salazosulphapyridine (Salazopyrin®) should be continued in symptom-free patients. The investigation included 27 non-pregnant women and 23 men with ulcerative colitis (aged 15-79 years), all treated non-surgically and having had no symptoms during one year’s treatment with salazosulphapyridine alone. In a double-blind trial about half these patients continued treatment with salazosulphapyridine in their accustomed dosage, while the rest were given placebo. One patient left the trial. Of the remaining 49 patients 13 developed recurrences in the 6-month trial period; 6 of these occurred in the salazosulphapyridine group of 25 patients (24 %) and 7 in the placebo group of 24 patients (29 %). From a statistical analysis it was concluded that: 1) Cessation of salazosulphapyridine treatment gave only a minimal increase in recurrence rate, which may easily have occurred by chance. 2) It is unlikely that the true difference between the recurrence rate after cessation of therapy and the rate during continued treatment is more than 26 %. Cessation of salazosulphapyridine treatment ought to be tried in ulcerative colitis patients who are receiving long-term treatment if they have been symptom-free for one year. About 75 % of the patients will not have symptoms for at least 6 months after cessation of treatment under the given circumstances.

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