Trial reportGut2006
Randomised controlled trial of azathioprine and 5-aminosalicylic acid for treatment of steroid dependent ulcerative colitis.
Trial report in Gut, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00542152 (A Randomized, Multicenter Open Label Study Comparing Cyclosporine With Infliximab in Steroid-refractory Severe Attacks of Ulcerative Colitis), which is not on this map. Cited by 139 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Randomized, Multicenter Open Label Study Comparing Cyclosporine With Infliximab in Steroid-refractory Severe Attacks of Ulcerative Colitis
Who cites it
139 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 508 citations in OpenAlex.
- Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine for maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- AGA Living Clinical Practice Guideline on Pharmacological Management of Moderate-to-Severe Ulcerative Colitis.Gastroenterology · 2024Guideline
- Oral 5-aminosalicylic acid for induction of remission in ulcerative colitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- AGA Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis.Gastroenterology · 2020Guideline
- Outcomes and Strategies to Support a Treat-to-target Approach in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review.Journal of Crohn's & colitis · 2020Pooled it
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) pharmacotherapy and the risk of serious infection: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.BMC gastroenterology · 2017Pooled it
- Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine for maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Oral 5-aminosalicylic acid for induction of remission in ulcerative colitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE): Determining Therapeutic Goals for Treat-to-Target.The American journal of gastroenterology · 2015Pooled it
- Methotrexate for induction of remission in ulcerative colitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- Defining quality indicators for best-practice management of inflammatory bowel disease in Canada.Canadian journal of gastroenterology & hepatology · 2014Guideline
- Indian Society of Gastroenterology consensus on ulcerative colitis.Indian journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology · 2012Guideline
- Exposing the weaknesses: a systematic review of azathioprine efficacy in ulcerative colitis.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2008Pooled it
- Omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil) for maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2007Pooled it
- Mercaptopurine for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.Journal of Crohn's & colitis · 2023Trial
- Methotrexate Is Not Superior to Placebo in Maintaining Steroid-Free Response or Remission in Ulcerative Colitis.Gastroenterology · 2018Trial
- Efficacy and safety of golimumab 52-week maintenance therapy in Japanese patients with moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis: a phase 3, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study-(PURSUIT-J study).Journal of gastroenterology · 2017Trial
- Clinical features and current treatment approach to ulcerative proctitis.Translational gastroenterology and hepatology · 2025Review
- Perspectives in clinical research on Azathioprine for steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Probiotic Microorganisms in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Live Biotherapeutics as Food.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
79 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsThere are limited evidence based data concerning the use of azathioprine in ulcerative colitis. We aimed to compare the efficacy of azathioprine and oral 5-aminosalicylic acid in inducing remission of steroid dependent ulcerative colitis.
methodsSeventy two patients with steroid dependent ulcerative colitis were admitted to this investigator-blind study. Steroid dependence was defined as a requirement for steroid therapy > or =10 mg/day during the preceding six months, with at least two attempts to discontinue the medication. The disease had to be clinically and endoscopically active at study entry, and all patients were taking systemic prednisolone (40 mg/day). Patients were randomised to receive azathioprine 2 mg/kg/day or oral 5-aminosalicylic acid 3.2 g/day, for a six month follow up period. The outcome of the treatment was defined as (1) success, indicating induction of clinical and endoscopic remission and steroid discontinuation, or (2) failure, indicating the absence of clinical and endoscopic remission and therefore the need for at least one further cycle of systemic steroids to control symptoms, apart from the initial one, or colectomy.
resultsSignificantly more patients in the azathioprine than in the 5-aminosalicylic acid group had clinical and endoscopic remission, and discontinued steroid therapy, both in the intention to treat (azathioprine v 5-aminosalicylic acid: 19/36 patients (53%) v 7/36 (21%); odds ratio (OR) 4.78 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.57-14.5)) and per protocol (azathioprine v 5-aminosalicylic acid: 19/33 patients (58%) v 7/34 (21%); OR 5.26 (95% CI 1.59-18.1)) analysis.
conclusionsAzathioprine is significantly more effective than 5-aminosalicylic acid in inducing clinical and endoscopic remission and avoiding steroid requirement in the treatment of steroid dependent ulcerative colitis.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.