Clinical Course of Ulcerative Colitis in Italy

Abstract

The prognosis of ulcerative colitis was studied in 122 patients with this disease who had been referred to Bologna from various parts of Italy and were then followed up. The overall mortality rate was 4.9% and the percentage of patients who were treated by total colectomy was 15.5%. Postoperative mortality was 10.5% and the percentage of patients who developed carcinoma of the colon was 0.8%. All these figures fall within the range of values for the relevant variables. The prognosis of ulcerative colitis in the 122 Italian patients was similar to that reported in patients of other nationalities.