Ulcerative colitis: The ulcerative colitis disease activity index (DAI)
A disease activity index based on patient symptoms and sigmoidoscopic appearance useful in assessing the efficacy of 5 aminosalicylic acid enemas in the treatment of distal ulcerative colitis
This instrument uses a combination of endoscopic and clinical features to give a numerical score (in distal ulcerative colitis), scoring each of stool frequency, rectal bleeding, mucosal appearance and physician’s overall rating between 1 and 3, with a possible maximum score of 12
The patient’s condition is considered to be improved if the DAI decreased by 3 or more points or if the final DAI is less than 3 points