Social prognosis in patients with ulcerative colitis.

One hundred and twenty-two randomly selected patients with ulcerative colitis (28 of whom had undergone colectomy) were interviewed to obtain data on the quality of their family, emotional, social, and professional lives. They were compared with an age- and sex-matched group of patients with acute conditions from the same area. The two groups were similar in marital status, the frequency of severe family or sexual problems, leisure activities, physical and earning capacity, the incidence of mental disorders before the interview, and intake of alcohol and psychopharmacological drugs. A higher proportion of the patients with colitis had had a higher education and belonged to higher socioeconomic groups than the controls, and this difference had been present at the time of diagnosis. These results show that patients with ulcerative colitis seem to adapt themselves well to their condition and suffer few social or professional disabilities.