Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 14, 2021; 27(22): 2963-2978
Published online Jun 14, 2021. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i22.2963
Mucosal lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients with ulcerative colitis: A review
Yan Sun, Zhe Zhang, Chang-Qing Zheng, Li-Xuan Sang
Yan Sun, Zhe Zhang, Chang-Qing Zheng, Li-Xuan Sang, Department of Gastroenterology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110022, Liaoning Province, China
Author contributions: Sun Y and Sang LX designed and performed the research; Sun Y, Zhang Z, Zheng CQ, and Sang LX contributed to the analysis and review; Sun Y wrote the paper; Sang LX revised the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no conflicts of interest related to the manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Li-Xuan Sang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 39 Huaxiang Road, Tiexi District, Shenyang 110022, Liaoning Province, China. sanglixuan2008@163.com
Received: February 2, 2021
Peer-review started: February 2, 2021
First decision: February 27, 2021
Revised: March 10, 2021
Accepted: April 21, 2021
Article in press: April 21, 2021
Published online: June 14, 2021
Processing time: 125 Days and 19.7 Hours
Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, nonspecific, relapsing inflammatory bowel disease. The colorectum is considered the chief target organ of UC, whereas upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract manifestations are infrequent. Recently, emerging evidence has suggested that UC presents complications in esophageal, stomachic, and duodenal mucosal injuries. However, UC-related UGI tract manifestations are varied and frequently silenced or concealed. Moreover, the endoscopic and microscopic characteristics of UGI tract complicated with UC are nonspecific. Therefore, UGI involvement may be ignored by many clinicians. In addition, no standard criteria have been established for patients with UC who should undergo fibrogastroduodenoscopy. Furthermore, specific treatment recommendations may be needed for patients with UC-associated UGI lesions. Herein, we review the esophageal, gastric, and duodenal mucosal lesions of the UC-associated UGI tract, as well as the potential pathogenesis and therapy.

Keywords: Ulcerative colitis; Upper gastrointestinal tract; Inflammatory bowel disease; Endoscopic and microscopic manifestations

Core Tip: This is a minireview to summarize the esophageal, gastric, and duodenal mucosal lesions of the ulcerative colitis (UC)-associated upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract, together with the potential pathogenesis and treatment recommendations. UC-related UGI manifestations are diverse and normally quite or covered by the manifestations of the lower gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the endoscopic and microscopic characteristics of UGI tract complicated with UC are typically unspecified. However, it is very important to identify UC-associated UGI tract diseases. Our research may assist in the diagnosis and monitoring of UC-associated UGI tract diseases.