Abstract

Ulcerative colitis is an idiopathic chronic inflammatory bowel disease that exclusively involves the colon. It is characterized by diffuse mucosal inflammation and a recurrent course of remission and relapse. Factors such as smoking, diet, genetic factors and miocrobial infection have all been suggested as causes of ulcerative colitis. One of the important issues in the treatment of ulcerative colitis is opportunistic infection associated with the usage of corticosteroid and immunosuppresant. In most cases, opportunistic cytomegalovirus infection after treatment with corticosteroid or immunosuppressant worsens the course of ulcerative colitis. However, cytomegalovirus infection is uncommon in immunocompetent patients and it is rare in immunocompetent patients with corticosteroid naive ulcerative colitis. We report here on a case in which an immunocompetent patient was newly diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and cytomegalovirus coinfection simultaneously. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2010;41:385-389)

• Keywords: Ulcerative colitis, Cytomegalovirus infections, Immunocompetence