levoleucovorin and Colitis

A woman aged 77 years with a history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) presented with inflammatory colitis confined to her rectum, which was incidentally found by a screening colonoscopy. Histopathological examination of colonic biopsies showed non-specific inflammatory infiltrates of lymphocytes, the cause of which was unknown. She had been diagnosed with RA 5 years before, and she was receiving methotrexate 6 mg weekly, to which tocilizumab had been added 4 years earlier, which achieved stable control of her disease. She had no gastrointestinal symptoms or other health problems. Tocilizumab-induced colitis was considered likely, and the drug was discontinued. Metronidazole was also prescribed because of possible Clostridium difficile-associated colitis. 3 months later, a repeat colonoscopy showed no improvement of the colitis. The methotrexate was also discontinued, and folinic acid was prescribed daily for 2 weeks, leading to complete resolution of the colitis observed at repeat colonoscopy.

Topics: Aged; Anti-Infective Agents; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antidotes; Antirheumatic Agents; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Colitis; Colonoscopy; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Incidental Findings; Leucovorin; Methotrexate; Metronidazole

Topics: Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Bevacizumab; Carcinoma; Colitis; Colonic Neoplasms; Diverticulosis, Colonic; Fluorouracil; Humans; Leucovorin; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Organoplatinum Compounds; Oxaliplatin

Topics: Adult; Anemia, Hypochromic; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; Chronic Disease; Colitis; Drug Therapy, Combination; Epoetin Alfa; Erythropoietin; Ferric Compounds; Folic Acid; Humans; Intestinal Polyps; Leucovorin; Malabsorption Syndromes; Male; Methotrexate; Osteoarthritis, Hip; Preoperative Care; Recombinant Proteins; Rectal Diseases; Remission Induction; Spondylitis, Ankylosing; Time Factors; Vitamin B 12; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

In order to evaluate the efficacy of oral administration of a pharmacological dose of folic or of folinic acid to prevent the folate deficiency in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with salicylazosulfapyridine (SASP) (1g twice daily at meal times), two groups of 15 patients with IBD received 15 mg/day of folic or folinic acid for one month. In both the groups there were ten patients affected by Crohn's disease and five patients affected by ulcerative colitis. Before starting the treatment, the plasma folate and the red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations did not statistically differ between the two groups. After one month the mean increase in RBC folate concentration was significantly greater after folinic therapy then after folic acid therapy (910 +/- 383 versus 570 +/- 212 ng/ml; p less than 0.01), while no difference was observed in the mean increase of plasma folate level (19.8 +/- 6.6 versus 18.5 +/- 5.0 ng/ml). It was concluded that: a) both folic and folinic acid could restore and enlarge the body stores of folate in patients with IBD treated with SASP, when administered at the dose of 15 mg daily for one month; b) folinic acid seems to be more efficient in enlarging the body stores of the vitamin than folic acid.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adolescent; Adult; Colitis; Female; Folic Acid; Folic Acid Deficiency; Humans; Ileitis; Ileum; Leucovorin; Male; Middle Aged; Sulfasalazine