Ulcerative colitis]

Ulcerative colitis in children has been seldom described in Chile. The cases of a 14 year old girl and a 10 year old boy with this disease are presented. Both had diarrhea for more than two months--which was continuous in the first case and intermittent in the other one--, bloody stools, weight loss, anemia and abdominal pain. Bacteriological and parasitological examination of stools were negative. Diagnosis of ulcerative colitis was based on barium enema, which showed mucosal ulceration and loss of the normal claustral pattern, rectosigmoidoscopy, that revealed hyperemia, friability and erosions of the corresponding segments of intestinal mucosa, and on histological examination of multiple mucosal biopsies, which disclosed crypt abscess, distorted crypt pattern, inflammation of the lamina propria and decreased number of goblet cells. Both cases were treated with salazosulfapyridine with satisfactory response.