Long‐term follow‐up of collagenous colitis after induction of clinical remission with budesonide

Summary Background: Budesonide (Entocort) is effective for the treatment of collagenous colitis. Aim: To assess the long‐term outcome of patients after induction of clinical remission by budesonide treatment. Methods: Fifty‐one patients with chronic diarrhoea and histologically proven collagenous colitis were enrolled in randomized, placebo‐controlled crossover trial using budesonide 9 mg daily for 6 weeks. Patients in clinical remission after either initial or crossover budesonide treatment were followed using standardized questionaires. Clinical relapse was defined as five or more loose stools/day for at least 4 consecutive days. Results: A total of 33 patients achieved clinical remission (85% per‐protocol). During a median follow‐up of 16 months, clinical relapse occurred in 20 patients (61%), after a median time of 2 weeks (range: 1–104, mean: 10 weeks). Patient age