Dozens Of Ulcerative Colitis New Medications Are Being Researched
Hundreds - perhaps thousands - of doctors, scientists and medical researchers are looking for new ulcerative colitis treatments and drugs every day, in the United States and a number of other countries. The NIH (National Institutes of Health) in the United States reports that there are currently about 270 clinical studies underway or recently completed into new ulcerative colitis treatments. Advances in ulcerative colitis treatments that are developed from these trials could ease ulcerative colitis pain for about 600,000 sufferers in the U.S., and millions of others around the world.
Ulcerative colitis is rarely fatal. Approximately 300 deaths result from it annually in the United States. Although mortality rates are low compared to some other diseases (like colon cancer), ulcerative colitis is still regarded as a serious intestinal and colon disorder. There are more than 800,000 hospitalizations annually. Doctors write approximately two million prescriptions for ulcerative colitis medications every year.
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. A number of ulcerative colitis medications (described below) may help alleviate painful symptoms These drugs may also reduce inflammation, slow down the progress of the disease, prevent complications, and replace blood and nutritional losses. In addition, these ulcerative colitis drugs may keep future flare ups from occurring, promote the healing of tissue that has been damaged, and reduce the need for surgery.
In choosing ulcerative colitis medications, your doctor will evaluate the progression of the disorder, the part of the colon that is affected, and any complications that may have developed.
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 focus on reducing any current inflammation, promoting remission, and keeping ulcerative colitis from becoming active again. Frequently, aminosalicylates are all you need to keep ulcerative colitis in remission. Remission means you are not experiencing or suffering symptoms.
Sometimes however, aminosalicylates will not be effective. The next choice of medications would then be corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are designed mainly to reduce inflammation. Once inflammation has been controlled, you will no longer need them. Once this goal has been reached, your doctor will probably resume aminosalicylate treatments.
When neither aminosalicylates nor corticosteroids bring about remission, your doctor will probably have to try other medications. Leading the list of these medications would be immunomodulators, cyclosporine, and infliximab. These medications help reduce or eliminate inflammation by controlling how your immune system responds to your disorder.
If you are pregnant and have ulcerative colitis, it's important to talk to your doctor about which medications are appropriate. Aminosalicylates and corticosteroids are generally considered to be safe for pregnant women, especially if the doctor believes ulcerative colitis is more of a threat to the unborn child than any effects of the drugs. Several ulcerative colitis drugs are available that are formulated for use according to the stage of the pregnancy and the severity of symptoms.
Some studies have shown that the nicotine patch may actually have some value as a treatment for ulcerative colitis. Researchers have not been able to determine, however, whether the nicotine patch really inhibits flare ups. It's also unclear how long benefits of using the patch last. Plus, nicotine obviously has other side effects and can be addictive. So most doctors will hesitate to try the nicotine patch before all other options have been found to be ineffective.
Once again, it's encouraging to know there are hundreds of researchers working on finding new ulcerative colitis drugs and treatments. Thanks to their efforts and dedication, cures for ulcerative colitis may be part of our future.
Ulcerative colitis is rarely fatal. Approximately 300 deaths result from it annually in the United States. Although mortality rates are low compared to some other diseases (like colon cancer), ulcerative colitis is still regarded as a serious intestinal and colon disorder. There are more than 800,000 hospitalizations annually. Doctors write approximately two million prescriptions for ulcerative colitis medications every year.
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. A number of ulcerative colitis medications (described below) may help alleviate painful symptoms These drugs may also reduce inflammation, slow down the progress of the disease, prevent complications, and replace blood and nutritional losses. In addition, these ulcerative colitis drugs may keep future flare ups from occurring, promote the healing of tissue that has been damaged, and reduce the need for surgery.
In choosing ulcerative colitis medications, your doctor will evaluate the progression of the disorder, the part of the colon that is affected, and any complications that may have developed.
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 focus on reducing any current inflammation, promoting remission, and keeping ulcerative colitis from becoming active again. Frequently, aminosalicylates are all you need to keep ulcerative colitis in remission. Remission means you are not experiencing or suffering symptoms.
Sometimes however, aminosalicylates will not be effective. The next choice of medications would then be corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are designed mainly to reduce inflammation. Once inflammation has been controlled, you will no longer need them. Once this goal has been reached, your doctor will probably resume aminosalicylate treatments.
When neither aminosalicylates nor corticosteroids bring about remission, your doctor will probably have to try other medications. Leading the list of these medications would be immunomodulators, cyclosporine, and infliximab. These medications help reduce or eliminate inflammation by controlling how your immune system responds to your disorder.
If you are pregnant and have ulcerative colitis, it's important to talk to your doctor about which medications are appropriate. Aminosalicylates and corticosteroids are generally considered to be safe for pregnant women, especially if the doctor believes ulcerative colitis is more of a threat to the unborn child than any effects of the drugs. Several ulcerative colitis drugs are available that are formulated for use according to the stage of the pregnancy and the severity of symptoms.
Some studies have shown that the nicotine patch may actually have some value as a treatment for ulcerative colitis. Researchers have not been able to determine, however, whether the nicotine patch really inhibits flare ups. It's also unclear how long benefits of using the patch last. Plus, nicotine obviously has other side effects and can be addictive. So most doctors will hesitate to try the nicotine patch before all other options have been found to be ineffective.
Once again, it's encouraging to know there are hundreds of researchers working on finding new ulcerative colitis drugs and treatments. Thanks to their efforts and dedication, cures for ulcerative colitis may be part of our future.