Sulfasalzine is used in: March 2011

Ans. C: Ulcerative Colitis The mainstay of drug therapy for mild and moderate ulcerative colitis is sulfasalazine and other aminosalicylic acid (ASA) compounds and coicosteroids Sulfasalazine It is a sulfa drug, a derivative of mesalazine (also called 5-aminosalicylic acid, or 5-ASA) Sulfasalazine is used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It is also indicated for use in rheumatoid ahritis and used in other types of inflammatory ahritis (e.g. psoriatic ahritis) where it has a beneficial affect. It is often well tolerated compared to other DMARDS. It is usually not given to children under 2 years of age. It yields the metabolite sulfapyridine which gives rise to side-effects such as agranulocytosis and hypospermia. The other metabolite of sulfasalazine, 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) is attributed to the drug's therapeutic effect. Therefore, 5-ASA and other derivatives of 5-ASA, are now usually preferred and given alone (as mesalazine), despite their increased cost, due to their more ourable side-effect profile. Sulfasalazine, and its metabolite 5-ASA, are poorly absorbed from the gut.