ULCERATIVE COLITIS: DISEASE PATTERNS AND MEDICAL MANAGEMENT.

The extent of anatomical involvement (rectosigmoid, left colon, entire colon, segmental, and enterocolon) and clinical behaviour (acute fulminating, recurrent colitis, and chronic continuous colitis) must be considered in assessing the prognosis and management of patients with ulcerative colitis. The severity of symptoms and signs is highly variable. It ranges from the virtually asymptomatic patient with mild proctitis to the patient with acute fulminating colitis with arthritis, skin lesions and "toxic megacolon" who constitutes a medical emergency. Consequently, there is no single therapeutic formula to be applied in this disease. Treatment is reviewed with reference to the recent literature.