Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a lifelong, chronic, incurable disease characterized by an intermittent relapsing–remitting clinical course.1 Clinical manifestations include chronic diarrhea, which may present with mucus or blood, straining and rectal tenesmus, nocturnal bowel movements, weight loss, fever, and abdominal pain.2 Nonetheless, UC manifestations are not limited to the colon itself. At least 1 in 4 patients develops extraintestinal manifestations.3, 4 UC has been a frequent disease in industrialized countries, but its incidence has recently increased in countries around Asia and Latin America, including Mexico.5

Quality of Life (QoL) is defined as an individual's perception of their place in existence in the context of culture, the value system in which they live regarding their objectives, normal expectations, and concerns. The concept is influenced by physical, psychological, and emotional health, as much as the level of independence and social relations.

In a meta-analysis study, Knowles et al.6 stated that UC patients have lower QoL than healthy people, indistinctly in adults and younger populations. Also, the patients showed a slight increase in QoL compared to other chronic gastrointestinal conditions such as Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder (FGID).

A lower QoL in UC patients has been associated with different factors, with the relapse period as the most relevant. To date, the level of QoL cannot be solely explained by the intensity of UC symptoms.7

Therefore, special attention should be given to psychosocial variables such as depression and anxiety as they negatively affect the QoL during the remission phase of the disease, which is why the identification of other variables that are associated with a lower QoL during remission would rely upon the proper enforcement of identification strategies for timely diagnosis and treatment, all of which could lead to an improvement in the QoL and functioning of these patients.

We aim to establish whether the presence of anxiety and depression is associated with a lower QoL in patients with UC in remission and to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression in this population.