Current status of the treatment of fulminant colitis

Fulminantcolitis is not a well-defined entity, that constitutes a severe complication. It usually occurs in the course of ulcerative colitis and Clostridium difficile colitis. A multidisciplinary management combining gastroenterologist and surgeons is crucial with intensive medical treatment and early surgery in non-responders. It is important to distinguish if we are facing a flare of IBD or, on the contrary, it is an infectious colitis, due to the fact that although general therapeutic measures to adopt will be the same, they will demand opposed specific measures. (C) 2014 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.