Two cases of ulcerative colitis are described: a 33-year-old woman who developed widespread bronchiectasis 7 months after undergoing colectomy, and a 72-year-old man whose colonic disease began coincidentally with the appearance of diffuse interstitial pulmonary infiltrates. In both cases, clinical correlation and common patterns of response of lung and bowel diseases suggested that the co-existence of these two pathologies might not be merely a casual relation.