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Hyperbaric Treatment for Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a disorder characterized by inflammation of the colon or large intestine. It's sometimes called inflammatory bowel disease or IBD, although IBD refers to other conditions as well. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, is a treatment inc which patients inhale pure oxygen while in a controlled environment with pressure at two or three times atmospheric pressure. Some reports suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy might be useful in treating ulcerative colitis, although further research is necessary to determine what role, if any, it could play.

  1. Ulcerative Colitis

    • In patients with ulcerative colitis, the lining of the rectum and colon becomes inflamed and ulcers or sores form where the cells of the lining of the colon are damaged or die. It's believed that ulcerative colitis may be caused by an abnormal reaction on the part of your immune system to the bacteria of your digestive tract, although the underlying causes remain unclear. Common symptoms include recurring bloody diarrhea, anemia and fatigue.

    Standard Treatments

    • Doctors typically prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs to treat ulcerative colitis---corticosteroids or immunomodulatory drugs are common recommendations. These drugs do cause side effects. Corticosteroids, for example, can cause weight gain, facial hair in women, hypertension, and increased risk of infection, among other side effects. If the symptoms of the disease worsen and become severe hospitalization may be required. In many cases doctors must resort to surgery to correct the problem. Researchers are investigating a number of new approaches that could eventually lead to better treatments.

    Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

    • During HBOT, patients breathe pure oxygen in a controlled environment. Pressure is gradually increased to two or three times atmospheric pressure. Under these conditions, even after the hemoglobin in the red blood cells is already loaded with all the oxygen it can carry, additional oxygen dissolves in the blood plasma and the blood becomes hyperoxygenated.

    Uses of HBOT

    • Until quite recently HBOT was considered somewhat controversial. Some uses have been approved, however, and are covered by Medicare and many private insurers. Among the conditions for which it is approved are carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness and certain skin grafts and thermal burns. Some alternative medicine practitioners have claimed other benefits for HBOT, but the evidence for treatment of other conditions besides those already approved is still limited.

    HBOT and Colitis

    • There are some reports of cases where HBOT seems to have proven useful in treating ulcerative colitis. The first such report was published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology in 2001. A letter published in the Southern Medical Journal in 2003 reported a case in which the use of HBOT was followed by substantial improvement in the condition of a patient suffering from ulcerative colitis. A study in the journal Physiological Research in 2004 found that HBOT in rats with acetic acid-induced colitis achieved an improvement compared to rats that received no treatment. Further research would be necessary, however, to determine to what extent HBOT may be useful in managing the disease.

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