Abstract
‹Background› There have been occasional reports regarding the long-term prognosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) from Japan, but most of them were from specialist centers such as university hospitals, and the course and prognosis are changing because of new therapeutic options. ‹Materials & Methods› We investigated the course and long-term prognosis of 246 patients with UC who had visited Toyohashi Municipal Hospital. ‹Results› Surgical therapy was required in 23 of 246 patients (9.3%), colorectal or appendiceal carcinomas were found in 8 patients (3.3%). Eight patients (3.3%) died. Four patients died related to UC all within 4 years, and the 4 unrelated deaths occurred more than 7 years after the onset of colitis . We also investigated the prognosis especially in patients having UC for more than 10 years. Overtime, asymptomatic patients in complete remission increased up to 71.7% whereas patients having regular visits decreased. The onset of disease at younger age and proximal extension of the disease tended to be seen in symptomatic patients. ‹Conclusions› The activity of UC tends to decrease overtime, and most of life-threatening events occurred within the first few years, so the initial management seems to be important.
