Update on medical management of inflammatory bowel disease: ulcerative colitis.

Significant advances have been made regarding our understanding of the etiopathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. This review focuses on the most recent applications of medical therapy for ulcerative colitis. Therapeutic approaches continue to evolve regarding inductive and maintenance strategies with oral and topical aminosalicylates, systemic and non-systemic corticosteroids, and cyclosporine and alternative immunomodulators. As further investigations continue to discern microbiological and immunoinflammatory targets, future therapies may include both probiotics and novel biological agents.