Allopurinol in addition to 5-aminosalicylic acid based drugs for the maintenance treatment of ulcerative colitis
BACKGROUND: To investigate the value of combined treatment with allopurinol and 5-aminosalicylic (5-ASA) based drugs as maintenance treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC).METHODS: 199 patients with UC in remission but with active disease during the preceding 3 years were included. Allopurinol 100 mg twice daily or placebo was added to the 5-ASA based maintenance treatment. Clinical and endoscopic f