What Researchers Did
Researchers described the case of a 71-year-old woman with acute severe ulcerative colitis who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy after her symptoms worsened when transitioning to oral steroids.
What They Found
The patient, who experienced a relapse with her CRP increasing from 9 to 48 mg/L after attempting to switch to oral steroids, received 5 hyperbaric oxygen treatments. After just 3 of these treatments, her CRP showed a prompt reduction, and her stool frequency and bleeding also decreased. This allowed her to successfully transition from intravenous to oral steroids on hospital day 9.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis, this case suggests that hyperbaric oxygen therapy could be a helpful additional treatment. It might assist patients in successfully reducing their reliance on intravenous steroids and potentially help avoid progression to colectomy.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
As a single case study, these findings may not apply to all patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis.