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. At least 270 clinical trials related to new ulcerative colitis treatments are either being conducted right now, or have recently been completed, according to the National Institutes of Health in the United States. New ulcerative colitis medications, treatments and therapies that result from these trials could relieve the pain of millions of ulcerative colitis patients worldwide.

Around three hundred deaths occur due to ulcerative colitis each year in the United States, so it's not typically fatal. 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 is a disorder that arises from inflammation in the lining of the colon and intestines. This inflammation results in ulcers that bleed and produce pus..

At the moment, there are no cures for ulcerative colitis. A number of ulcerative colitis medications (described below) may help alleviate painful 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.

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.

Patients who are still in the mild to moderate range will generally receive aminosalicylates as a first course of treatment. Sulfasalazine or mesalamine are two of the most frequently used medications in these cases. Aminosalicylates focus on reducing any current inflammation, promoting remission, and keeping ulcerative colitis from becoming active again. Generally, aminosalicylates will keep mild or moderate cases of ulcerative colitis in remission, which is regarded as a period of time in which you experience no symptoms.

When aminosalicylates don't work well enough, corticosteroids are usually the next choice. The main purpose of corticosteroids is to eliminate inflammation, and they'll only be used 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. Typically, such medicine would include immunomodulators, cyclosporine, and infliximab. The goal of these medications is to reduce inflammation - and therefore symptoms - by modulating the response of your immune system to your illness.

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. 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. 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. Ulcerative colitis sufferers can take heart knowing that new treatments and medications may soon be developed thanks to these research efforts.