A Clinical Study on the Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is an waxing and waning inflammatory bowel disease characterized by rectal bleeding and diarrhea, affecting principally the mucosa of the rectum and colon. Its incidience is being higher in Europe and America and it also seems to be rising increasingly in our country because diagnostic methods are much developed and Korean life styles are westernized. So, we investigated its clinical characteristics.

We analyzed 36 cases of ulcerative colitis which had been treated in the Hospital of Ewha Womans' University from Jan. 1983 to Feb. 1993, retrospectively.

1) The most prevalent age group was 3rd decade and male to female ratio was 1:1.77.

2) The duration of symptoms was less than 6 months in 63.9%.

3) The most common clinical manifestation was hematochezia(86.1%), abdominal pain(75.0%), diarrhea(72.2%), fever(30.6%), weight loss(27.8%) in the order of frequency.

4) According to the severity, moderate type was shown in 52.8%, severe in 33.3% and mild in 13.9%.

5) According to the anatomical distribution of the lesion, pancolitis was shown in 36.1%, the involvement of the rectum and sigmoid colon in 16.6%, the left-sided colon in 13.8%, rectum only in 13.8%, transverse colon in 8.3% and backwash ileitis in 11.1%, respectively.

6) The hematologic laboratory finding was non-specific including anemia, leukocytosis, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, bypoalburninemia, electrolyte imbalance, increased serum transaminase and alkaline phosphatase.

7) Colonoscopy revealed ulceration(77.1%) commonly, including hyperemia(51.4%), bleeding(42.5%), mucosal friability(22.9%), pseudopolyp(22.9%), granularity(20.2%).

8) The Barium enema showed granularity commonly and loss of haustral marking(55.2%), luminal narrowing(34.5%), lead pipe rigidity(13.8%), pseudopolyp(3.4%). Also, normal finding was shown in 10.3%.

9) The most common histopathologic finding was inflammation(83.3%) and ryptitis(55.6%), ulceration(50%), goblet cell depletion(19.4%), pseudopolyp(19.4%), necrosis(13.9%), granolarity(8.3%) were also noted.

10) With the medical treatment, 76.5% of the cases showed initial improvement of the symptom, but the recurrence developed in 17.7%. The surgery was performed in 6 cases of patients(16.7%). Emergency operation was performed in 2 cases due to bowel perforation and elective operation in 4 cases.