[Diagnostic and therapeutic problems in ulcerative colitis]

This article discusses two specific atypical cases of ulcerative colitis encountered in the Inpatient Internal Diseases Department at Czerniakowski Hospital, Warsaw, Poland. Ulcerative colitis usually manifests itself primarily in the gastrointestinal tract, what made these cases exceptional was the involvement of multiple organs which complicated the diagnosis. The first of this cases presented a rare combination of symptoms of ulcerative colitis, cytomegalovirus infection, and polychondritis. The second case involved a patient initially diagnosed with myelogenous leukemia, however subsequent investigation revealed a sever case of ulcerative colitis and not leukemia as originally suspected.