INTERMITTENT VERSUS CONTINUOUS 5-AMINOSALICYLIC ACID TREATMENT FOR MAINTAINING REMISSION IN ULCERATIVE-COLITIS

We performed a 12-month clinical trial to compare the relative effecti veness of an intermittent 5-ASA regimen and a continuous 5-ASA regimen for the maintenance treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis in remission. Fifty patients with ulcerative colitis in remission for a m inimum period of 1 month participated in the study. Twenty five patien ts received an intermittent treatment with 5-ASA tablets (2.4 g for th e first week of each month) and 25 received a continuous treatment wit h tablets (1.6 g each day). Patients were assessed clinically every tw o months and endoscopically every 6 months. Our results show that the two treatments were equally effective. The relapse-free rates at 12 mo nths were 71% in patients receiving the intermittent treatment and 66% in patients given the continuous treatment. This difference is not st atically significant. Further studies are needed to assess whether the intermittent regimen can be an alternative to life-long treatment in patients who have maintained remission for a long period of time.