Hello, Actually, it is very difficult to find the cause for Ulcerative Colitis. We have looked hard to find either an infection or something in the diet that might be causing the disease, but have drawn a blank. For a while it seemed that Ulcerative colitis might be one of those diseases where the body seemed to be attacking itself. We now think that very unlikely, but there is no doubt that something must be causing damage to the lining of the large intestine. As the cause is still not identified, there is no cure for this disease. All treatments available at present are directed towards reducing the amount of inflammation in the bowel. Fortunately, for most patients with Ulcerative colitis, medicines prove effective although it is possible that your treatment may need to be varied to find the drugs that work best for her. We firstly try to find a treatment that will bring the disease under control. Then they will work on finding a treatment to keep her that way. Almost always, the choice of treatment will depend on the extent and severity of the inflammation within the large bowel. If the inflammation is confined to the rectum (‘proctitis’), it is quite possible we will recommend a medication that she will need to insert into the rectum through the back passage. Although the thought of this can be unpleasant, it can be helpful to appreciate that giving your treatment this way does mean that the therapy is really directed right against the inflamed part of your bowel. Treatment can be given as suppositories or as enemas. Enemas can also be useful if the disease involves more of the large bowel than just the rectum alone, but if the inflammation in the bowel is extensive enough to affect more than half of the colon, it is also likely that she will be prescribed tablets to take by mouth. Aminosalicylates are helpful and may reduce cancer risk. We try to avoid giving steroids in the long term because of side-effects. As an alternative, the possibility of taking azathioprine may be discussed with her. This calms down the immune system and, although only weakly effective against active disease, it has proved most useful in preventing relapses. This drug does need close monitoring in the first few weeks of treatment in order to detect side-effects although most people do not have any problems when they take it. Hope this helps. Please write back for further queries. Wishing you good health.