Dozens Of Ulcerative Colitis New Therapies Are Being Investigated
Author: Neal Kennedy
Category: Health
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Ulcerative colitis treatment research is currently underway in - literally - hundreds of medical research facilities, hospitals and universities in a growing number of countries. Approximately 270 clinical trials aimed at finding new ulcerative colitis treatments are either underway at present or have recently been completed. These numbers come from the National Institutes of Health in the United States. Millions of individuals worldwide could benefits from new ulcerative colitis treatments developed as a result of these clinical trials.
Ulcerative colitis is not typically fatal. In the United States, there are around three hundred deaths a year because of it. Nonetheless, it is considered to be a serious digestive condition which causes approximately eighty thousand hospitalizations every year. There are more than two million prescriptions for ulcerative colitis medications filled annually.
Ulcerative colitis gets its name because inflammation causes ulcers to grow in the lining of the colon and intestines. These ulcers may produce pus and often bleed..
Medical researchers have not been able to develop any cures for ulcerative colitis. Medications for ulcerative colitis have been developed (see below) that relieve the pain from symptoms. These drugs are also beneficial because they can decrease inflammation, lower the chances of complications, reduce blood and nutritional deficits, and arrest further progression of the illness. Plus, ulcerative colitis medicine may help damaged tissues heal, prevent new flare ups, and lower the necessity of surgery in the future.
Your doctors will choose ulcerative colitis treatments and medications based on any possible complications you may be experiencing and the section of the colon or intestines where the disease is located. He or she will also consider how advanced the disorder has become.
When patients have mild to moderate ulcerative colitis, the doctor will generally choose aminosalicylates as the first course of treatment. Drugs called sulfasalazine or mesalamine are often the first choice in these situations. Aminosalicylates basically increase the possibility of remission, help keep the disorder inactive, and decrease any current inflammation. Most of the time, aminosalicylates are all you will need to keep the disorder in remission. Remission is defined as a period of time in which you are free of symptoms.
If aminosalicylates don't get the job done, your doctor will then recommend corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are generally used only as long as it takes to bring inflammation under control. As soon as inflammation goes down, your physician will probably recommend that you start taking aminosalicylates again.
If you don't accomplish remission with aminosalicylates or corticosteroids, you'll probably have to start trying other medications. Leading the list of these medications would be immunomodulators, cyclosporine, and infliximab. The main purpose of these medications is to regulate the response of your immune system to your disease. By doing so, there will be less inflammation, and therefore, fewer symptoms.
It's important for pregnant women to discuss their options for ulcerative colitis medications with their doctor. Doctors will generally allow women who are pregnant to take aminosalicylates and corticosteroids, especially if ulcerative colitis poses more of a threat to the health of the unborn child than the medications. There are a number of ulcerative colitis medicines your doctor can prescribe that are appropriate for different stages of your pregnancy and the severity of your symptoms.
A number of recent research projects have demonstrated that the nicotine patch may help reduce the symptoms of ulcerative colitis. At the moment though it's not clear if the patch can really help prevent flare ups and how long any potential benefits may last. Nicotine, however, has some potentially harmful side effects and can also lead to addiction. Because of this, most doctors will only recommend the nicotine patch if all other medications have failed.
Once again, it's encouraging to know there are hundreds of researchers working on finding new ulcerative colitis drugs and treatments. Hopefully, all their efforts will soon pay off in new ulcerative colitiis treatments that alleviate the pain and suffering of those who have this disease. Perhaps, even finding cures for ulcerative colitis may be possible.
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Date Submitted: 10/21/2010
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