Recent Advances in the Management of Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis

Acute severe ulcerative colitis is a medical emergency requiring inpatient treatment with intravenous steroids. Approximately one-third of patients do not respond to steroids sufficiently and require medical rescue therapy. Infliximab and cyclosporine are equally effective rescue agents, though infliximab is often preferred by clinicians for ease of use and greater familiarity. The use of cyclosporine is becoming more frequent, however, in patients previously exposed to infliximab. Those patients not exhibiting an adequate response to rescue therapy require colectomy. There is increasing interest in modified medical treatment to rescue the need for surgery. Janus kinase inhibitors may provide benefits when used alongside steroids from admission or as a rescue agent, but further randomised trials are needed to clearly establish their role. Intensified dosing of infliximab when used as a rescue therapy has shown mixed results but seems sensible in patients with low albumin and high disease burden. In this review, we describe the current established treatment pathways and report newer developments and evolving concepts that may in the future improve the care of patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis.