[Maintenance therapy by azathioprine after successful treatment by intravenous corticosteroid in acute severe colitis. An open prospective study].

Aims: To investigate the efficacy of azathioprine as maintenance therapy in acute severe colitis of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis after successful treatment by intravenous corticosteroids.

Methods: We conduct an open prospective study between 1999 and 2004. All patients with acute severe colitis and good outcome after seven at ten days of intravenous corticosteroid treatment received azathioprine (2-2.