Background: The role of cyclosporin in patients with severe, refractory inflammatory bowel disease is unclear.

Methods: A seven year retrospective review of patients treated with oral cyclosporin for inflammatory bowel disease refractory to conventional medical therapy was undertaken.

Results: Twenty-eight patients (13 ulcerative colitis and 15 Crohn's disease) received oral cyclosporin for a mean of nine months (range 0.25-27 months). Within four weeks of starting cyclosporin, a complete clinical response occurred in 15 patients (nine with ulcerative colitis and six with Crohn's colitis), in whom conventional maintenance treatment was instituted concurrently. The clinical response was sustained during cyclosporin treatment in ten, but maintained after cyclosporin withdrawal in only five patients (18% of entire study group). Four of the five patients who relapsed after cyclosporin withdrawal had failed previously to respond to azathioprine. None of the five patients with continuing remission after cyclosporin withdrawal had received azathioprine in the past. There were three clinically significant infections and 14 cases of impaired renal function during treatment.

Conclusions: Oral cyclosporin induces remission in some patients with severe ulcerative colitis or Crohn's colitis, but its benefits in cases refractory to azathioprine are over-shadowed by a high frequency of relapse after drug withdrawal.