A Comparative Study of Metronidazole and Sulfasalazine in Active, Not Severe, Ulcerative Colitis: An Israeli Multicenter Trial

Since metronidazole (M) was found to be effective in Crohnʼs disease, we evaluated its efficacy in the treatment of active ulcerative colitis (UC). Forty-six outpatients with acute, non-severe UC were studied. Forty-two concluded the trial. Twenty-three received M 1.35 g/day and 19 received sulfasalazine (S) 4.5 g/day for 28 days in a randomized double-blind study. Six of 23 receiving M improved (26%) as against 13 of 19 patients receiving S (68%) (p < 0.01). No significant side effects were noted. We conclude that M is ineffective in the therapy of an acute attack of UC.