Disease activity in children and adolescents with ulcerative colitis, designed to avoid colonoscopy in a population where repeated endoscopy is poorly tolerated. Used in acute severe colitis to time rescue therapy.
What is scored
The calculator collects 6 items:
Abdominal Pain
Rectal Bleeding
Stool Consistency
Nocturnal Stools
Daily Stool Frequency
Activity Limitation
Any item left blank stops the score being calculated — an incomplete form never reports as remission.
Interpretation
< 10
Remission
10 - 34
Mild
35 - 64
Moderate
≥ 65
Severe
Bands as implemented in IBD Care. A band is a description of the score, not an instruction.
Limitations
Developed and validated in children; it should not be applied to adults. Being non-invasive, it cannot confirm mucosal healing. Scores rely on accurate reporting of stool frequency and nocturnal symptoms, which may be a parental report rather than the child's.
References
Turner D, Otley AR, Mack D, Hyams J, de Bruijne J, Uusoue K, et al. Development, validation, and evaluation of a pediatric ulcerative colitis activity index: a prospective multicenter study. Gastroenterology 2007;133:423-32. PMID 17681163. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2007.05.029
Content last reviewed 2026-10-10. References were resolved against PubMed, a service of the US National Library of Medicine, which does not endorse this site.
Use the calculator
Paediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index is implemented as an interactive calculator in IBD Care, with its full guidance and scoring bands.