Can azathioprine 6-mercaptopurine treatment be withdrawn in patients with response in ulcerative colitis: what is the most appropriate time for this?

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, inflammatory disease affecting the gastrointestinal system. The disease presents itself typically by remission and relapses, so that in the first year after the diagnosis, 40%-50% of the cases are clinically in remission, whereas only 25% remain in remission 3-7 years later (1). Moreover, 18% of the cases remain continuously active, and 57% of them have a course with intermittent relapses. If the follow-up period is extended up to 25 years, intermittent activation is reported to be seen in 90% of the cases. That is the logic underlying the need for agents maintaining the remission.

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