5-ASA Delivers Deep Objective Remission, But Urgency Persists in UC

This real-world Belgian cohort quantifies how far 5-aminosalicylic acid monotherapy can carry mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis patients toward modern treat-to-target endpoints and where it falls short.

5-aminosalicylic acidmesalamineulcerative colitisinflammatory bowel diseasecross-sectional studytreat-to-targetdeep remissionbowel urgencyreal-world evidence Clinical Practice

Background Information

5-ASA shows strong remission rates but struggles with deep remission in UC.

This study evaluates the real-world effectiveness of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) in achieving clinical goals in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). High rates of biological (78%), endoscopic (87%), and histological (80%) remission were observed, but deep remission was only 24% due to persistent urgency. The results confirm 5-ASA's relevance in mild-to-moderate UC and emphasize the need to manage residual symptoms despite mucosal healing. 5-ASA effectively induces remission but residual symptoms remain a challenge.

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Authors: Reenaers C, Lambrecht G, Pouillon L, Baert F, Cremer A, Colard A, Claessens C, Billiet T, Geldof J, De Zutter A, Rahier JF, Somers M, Reynders D, Vansteenkiste L, Arijs I, Louis E, Belgian IBD Research and Development Group (BIRD), Verstockt B

Citation: Reenaers C, Lambrecht G, Pouillon L, et al. Characterization of remission levels in patients with ulcerative colitis treated with 5-aminosalicylates: results of the cross-sectional CARUC-ASA study by the Belgian IBD Research and Development Group. Journal of Crohn's & colitis. 2026;20(8). doi:10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjag100

Article Links: PubMed · Journal / DOI · Free Full Text (PMC)

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