Antibiotic combination therapy for steroid withdrawal in steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis

Immunosuppressive drugs are recommended for use as replacements of steroid therapy in sustaining remission of steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis (UC). However, discontinuation of these therapeutic agents leads to a high relapse, and their long-term administration has not been proven safe. A newly introduced antibiotic combination therapy led to improvement and remission of active UC. The aim of this study is to examine whether this new therapy can replace immunosuppressive agents and allow discontinuation of steroids in steroid-dependent UC remission.

48 patients with steroid-dependent UC were recruited for a 2-week treatment with amoxicillin, tetracycline, and metronidazole (ATM). Examination of clinical symptoms, endoscopy, and histological evaluation were performed before and 6 and 12 months after treatment.

The proportion of patients who showed clinical improvement at 6 and 12 months after treatment was 54.2% (26/48) and 75.0% (36/48), respectively. The rate of clinical remission at 6 and 12 months was 31.3% (15/48) and 37.5% (18/48), respectively. Steroid withdrawal was attained in 64.6% (31/48) and 70.8% (34/48) of patients at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Endoscopic improvement was detected in 56.3% (27/48), and histological improvement was detected in 52.1% (25/48) at the final observation point for each patient.

The triple antibiotic therapy resulted in improvement, remission, and steroid withdrawal in steroid-dependent UC patients.