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[Microscopic colitis. A 20 cases series].

Microscopic colitis are defined as a chronic inflammation of a normal macroscopic colonic mucosa. We report 20 cases of microscopic colitis. Chronic diarrhea revealed the diagnosis in 95% of cases. Endoscopic examination was normal in 95% of patients. We diagnosed collagenous colitis in 65% of cases and lymphocytic colitis in 35% of cases. The treatment was based on sulphasalazine in 16 patients, on 5 aminosalicylic acid in 1 case, on gluten free diet in 2 cases and a symptomatic treatment was prescribed to one patient. A clinical remission was observed in 41.2% of patients taking sulphasalazine.

Adult↗

Efficacy of open-label bismuth subsalicylate for the treatment of microscopic colitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The pathogenesis of the microscopic colitis syndrome is unknown but may involve bacteria, an intestinal luminal antigen, and/or autoimmunity. It was hypothesized that bismuth subsalicylate would resolve both diarrhea and colonic inflammation in microscopic colitis because it possesses antidiarrheal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. METHODS: Thirteen patients with microscopic colitis (7 with subepithelial collagen deposition and 6 without) were treated with eight chewable 262-mg bismuth subsalicylate tablets per day for 8 weeks. Patients recorded the frequency of bowel movements daily. Forty-eight-hour stool collections and flexible sigmoidoscopy with 24 biopsies were performed before and after treatment in each patient. RESULTS: Twelve patients completed the trial. Eleven patients had a resolution of diarrhea and a reduction in fecal weight. The average time to respond was 2 weeks. In 9 patients, colitis resolved. When present before treatment, subepithelial collagen thickening disappeared. Those completing the trial experienced no side effects. Posttreatment follow-up for 7-28 months shows that 9 patients remain well having undergone no further treatment, 2 are well but required retreatment, and 1 has continued diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: Bismuth subsalicylate treatment for 8 weeks is safe and well tolerated. This regimen appears to be efficacious for the treatment of microscopic colitis and is worthy of further study in a controlled trial.

Administration, Oral↗

[Microscopic colitis].

A 38-year old woman is admitted in the gastroenterology unit for a disabling episode of watery diarrhoea, not bloody and refractory to anti-diarrheic drugs. Different diagnostic exams remain negatives, with the exception of colic biopsies who disclose a lymphocytic colitis, one of the forms of the microscopic colitis entity. Microscopic colitis is an anatomo-clinic syndrome characterized by the presence of histological abnormalities on colic biopsies amongst patients suffering from chronic watery diarrhoea without endoscopic anomalies. Two clinical entities are today well known: collagenous colitis is characterized by a thickening of the sub-epithelial collagen band of the colon; lymphocytic colitis is defined as an increased level of lymphocytic cells, more than 20%, in the epithelial surface of colorectal mucosa. Inflammatory lesions of the chorion and alterations of the epithelial surface are seen in the two types of colitis. Their etiology remains unknown. It could be due to inflammatory lesions from autoimmune origin, activated by various exogenous agents such as bacteria and drugs. Clinical (feminine prevalence, frequent association with auto-immune diseases) and morphological similarities lead to argue and to hypothesis that both entities could represent different stages of the same disease, the lymphocytic colitis being the early stage. Various treatments have been proposed, for instance 5-aminosalicylates, but today mainly synthetic corticoids are used, especially budesonide. Others entities are recently been described: the chronic pericrypt eosinophilic enterocolitis and the colonic epithelial lymphocytosis ("epidemic").

Adult↗

Microscopic colitis: can it be qualitatively and quantitatively characterized?

This study reports the histological features helpful in diagnosing microscopic colitis. Rectal biopsy specimens from 14 patients with microscopic colitis, 14 with active ulcerative colitis and 14 without colonic inflammation were pooled and then assessed by three observers according to a predetermined protocol. Inter-observer agreement was good except for Paneth cell metaplasia and endocrine cell metaplasia. Compared with healthy tissue, microscopic colitis showed a significant (p less than 0.05) increase in chronic inflammatory cells and a depletion of goblet cells but these changes were less pronounced than those seen in ulcerative colitis (p less than 0.05). In contrast to ulcerative colitis, microscopic colitis was associated with a more marked infiltration with eosinophils and an increase in intra-epithelial lymphocytes. These results show that microscopic colitis can be distinguished both from normal colonic tissue and from ulcerative colitis.

Adolescent↗

Microscopic colitis: prevalence and distribution throughout the colon in patients with chronic diarrhoea.

BACKGROUND: Microscopic colitis presents with chronic diarrhoea with or without abdominal pain. Microscopic colitis is an important cause of chronic diarrhoea. It can be distributed throughout the colon, as well as limited to the right colon. Microscopic colitis is associated with coeliac disease. We studied the prevalence and distribution of microscopic colitis in patients with diarrhoea and normal colonoscopy and we studied the association with coeliac disease. METHODS: Colonoscopy was performed. Biopsies were taken from every segment of the colon. Lymphocytic colitis was defined as the presence of more than 20 lymphocytes per 100 epithelial cells and collagenous colitis was defined as thickening of the basal membrane of more than 10 microm. Upper endoscopy was performed if upper intestinal symptoms were present. If this was the case, small bowel biopsies were taken. RESULTS: Microscopic colitis was found in 13 out of 103 patients. The distribution was diffuse throughout the colon in ten and restricted to the right colon in three patients. In seven patients, upper endoscopy was performed. Marsh I/II lesions were found in six out of seven patients. CONCLUSION: Microscopic colitis was limited to the right colon in 23% of patients. Biopsies of macroscopically normal colonic mucosa in patients with diarrhoea is mandatory.

Adolescent↗

Familial occurrence of microscopic colitis: a report on five families.

BACKGROUND: The etiology and pathogenesis of microscopic colitis is unknown. Whether genetic predisposition is of importance, as in many other gastrointestinal diseases, is unknown. Familial occurrence of collagenous colitis has earlier been reported only in two families. METHODS: Familial occurrence of microscopic colitis was searched for in a Swedish national microscopic colitis register. RESULTS: Familial occurrence of microscopic colitis was identified in five families. In all families a sister-sister relationship was found. Two sisters with collagenous colitis had been living apart in different Nordic countries for many years before developing the disease. In one pair, the smoking sister had collagenous colitis and the never smoking sister had lymphocytic colitis. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the relative rarity of microscopic colitis, these findings indicate that a genetic predisposition may be of importance.

Adult↗

Microscopic colitis: a common diarrhoeal disease. An epidemiological study in Orebro, Sweden, 1993-1998.

BACKGROUND: Microscopic colitis, including collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis, mainly affects middle aged and older subjects, with a female predominance in collagenous colitis. The diseases have previously been regarded as rare. We present an epidemiological study of microscopic colitis in a well defined Swedish population. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively searched for in colonoscopy reports of those who had a colonoscopy in the period 1993-1998 for non-bloody diarrhoea. All colonic mucosal biopsies were reassessed using strict diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Biopsies from 1018 patients were reassessed. Fifty one (45 female) collagenous colitis patients and 46 (31 female) lymphocytic colitis patients were diagnosed. Median age at diagnosis was 64 years in collagenous colitis and 59 years in lymphocytic colitis. The mean annual incidence of collagenous colitis was 4.9/10(5) inhabitants (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.6-6.2/10(5)) and of lymphocytic colitis 4.4/10(5) inhabitants (95% CI 3.1-5.7/10(5)). The annual incidence of collagenous colitis increased from 3.7/10(5) in 1993-1995 to 6.1/10(5) in 1996-1998 (difference 2.4/10(5) (95% CI -0.3-5.1/10(5))) whereas the incidence of lymphocytic colitis increased from 3.1/10(5) to 5.7/10(5) (difference 2.6/10(5) (95% CI 0.1-5.2/10(5))). CONCLUSIONS: The annual incidences of collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis are higher than considered previously and are now equal to the incidence of Crohn's disease in Sweden, and combined rates approach the incidence of ulcerative colitis. Microscopic colitis was diagnosed in 10% of all patients with non-bloody diarrhoea referred for colonoscopy and in almost 20% of those older than 70 years.

Adolescent↗

Microscopic colitis with giant cells.

AIMS: Collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis are the two types of microscopic colitis with specific morphological features. In this report we describe a new histopathological subtype of microscopic colitis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Colonoscopy in four patients with chronic watery diarrhoea showed no macroscopic abnormalities. The random biopsies from the colon showed subepithelial multinucleated giant cells in combination with the features of collagenous colitis in three patients and lymphocytic colitis in one patient. These multinucleated giant cells were positive for CD68. The density of macrophages was highest in the most superficial part of the lamina propria. In one patient, a previous biopsy showed features consistent with collagenous colitis without multinucleated giant cells. Treatment with budesonide led to the disappearance of diarrhoea in all four patients. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical and histopathological features of the four presented patients indicate that there exists a histopathological subtype of microscopic colitis characterized by the presence of subepithelial multinucleated giant cells, which probably arise from fusion of subepithelial macrophages. Analysis of more patients with this histopathological subtype of microscopic colitis is necessary to determine whether they also form a clinically distinct group.

Aged↗

Economic comparison of current endoscopic practices: Barrett's surveillance vs. ulcerative colitis surveillance vs. biopsy for sprue vs. biopsy for microscopic colitis.

Health care costs are an increasingly important study outcome. Endoscopic practice consumes a large proportion of gastroenterology-related health expenses. An economic comparison of several currently accepted endoscopic practices was performed, ranking them according their cost-effectiveness, as viewed from the payer perspective. The cost-effectiveness of four currently accepted standard endoscopic practices was examined: small bowel biopsy to assess for celiac sprue, colonoscopic biopsy to assess for microscopic colitis, surveillance of Barrett's esophagus, and surveillance of chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC). Parameter estimates were obtained from the published literature. Charges were based on Medicare professional plus facility/technical fees. Performing colonoscopic biopsies for microscopic colitis in the setting of chronic nonbloody diarrhea was the most cost-effective practice ($2447/case detected), while small bowel biopsy for sprue in the setting of a patient with a first-degree relative with sprue ($3042/case detected) or with anemia ($2982/case detected) was also a cost-effective approach. Small bowel biopsy in the setting of diarrhea ($3900/case detected) was less cost-effective, while CUC surveillance ($14,119/detection of dysplasia) and performance of small bowel biopsy in an asymptomatic patient ($15,209/case detected) were clearly the least economical. As efforts are made to reduce the costs of health care, more attention will be focused on the cost-effectiveness of routine endoscopic practices. Although, our findings put endoscopic practices into economic perspective, future perspective, future prospective trials are required to confirm the validity of these findings.

Barrett Esophagus↗

Microscopic colitis: a diagnosis to consider.

Microscopic colitis is a syndrome of chronic watery diarrhoea for which no cause can be identified other than the presence of diffuse, chronic inflammation in the lamina propria on colonic biopsy. Endoscopically and radiologically the colon appears normal. We studied case records of 215 patients presenting to our institution over a three year period with chronic diarrhoea. Nineteen patients were included in the study where two pathologists agreed on the presence of chronic inflammation on colonic biopsies. All patients had watery diarrhoea with urgency. Stool examination, laboratory indices, radiology of the large and small bowel and colonoscopy were normal in all patients. Patients did not respond to a variety of drugs. A significant improvement was noted in one patient given salazopyrin. In developing countries chronic diarrhoea is most often attributed to infection and treated with antibiotics. Microscopic colitis should be considered in the diagnosis of such patients.

Adult↗

The epidemiology of microscopic colitis: a population based study in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

OBJECTIVE: Although the epidemiology of microscopic colitis has been described in Europe, no such data exist from North America. We studied the incidence, prevalence and temporal trends of microscopic colitis in a geographically defined US population. DESIGN AND SETTING: In this population based cohort study, residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, with a new diagnosis of microscopic colitis, and all who had colon biopsies for evaluation of diarrhoea, between 1 January 1985 and 31 December 2001 were identified. Biopsies were reviewed for confirmation (cases) and to identify missed cases (diarrhoea biopsies). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence rates, age and sex adjusted to the 2000 US white population. Poisson regression assessed the association of calendar period, age and sex with incidence. RESULTS: We identified 130 incident cases for an overall rate of 8.6 cases per 100,000 person-years. There was a significant secular trend, with incidence increasing from 1.1 per 100,000 early in the study to 19.6 per 100,000 by the end (p<0.001). Rates increased with age (p<0.001). By subtype, the incidence was 3.1 per 100,000 for collagenous colitis and 5.5 per 100,000 for lymphocytic colitis. Collagenous colitis was associated with female sex (p<0.001) but lymphocytic colitis was not. Prevalence (per 100,000 persons) on 31 December 2001 was 103.0 (39.3 for collagenous colitis and 63.7 for lymphocytic colitis). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of microscopic colitis has increased significantly over time, and by the end of the study, the incidence and prevalence were significantly higher than reported previously. Microscopic colitis is associated with older age, and collagenous colitis is associated with female sex.

Adult↗

Bile acid malabsorption in microscopic colitis and in previously unexplained functional chronic diarrhea.

Bile acid malabsorption (BAM) has been described in patients with collagenous colitis. There are no similar studies in lymphocytic colitis. The possibility that BAM might not necessarily be part of the microscopic colitis process and that both entities could simply be concomitant has not been evaluated. Our aim was to assess the frequency and severity of BAM in patients with microscopic colitis as well as in patients with previously unexplained functional chronic diarrhea. Likewise, we wanted to investigate the effect of cholestyramine on the induction and maintenance of remission of these conditions. A [75Se]HCAT abdominal retention test was performed in 26 patients with collagenous colitis, 25 with lymphocytic colitis, and 32 with previously unexplained functional chronic diarrhea. Patients with microscopic colitis who had BAM as well as a subgroup of eight collagenous colitis patients without BAM received treatment with cholestyramine. All patients with previously unexplained chronic diarrhea who had BAM were treated with cholestyramine. Twenty-two (43.1%) patients with microscopic colitis and 24 (75%) patients with previously unexplained functional chronic diarrhea presented with BAM. The frequency of BAM was higher in lymphocytic colitis than in collagenous colitis (60% vs 27%; P = 0.025). Cholestyramine induced clinical remission in 19 of 22 patients with microscopic colitis and BAM, none of eight patients with collagenous colitis without BAM, and all patients with previously unexplained chronic diarrhea and BAM. In conclusion, BAM seems to be common in patients with microscopic colitis-mainly in lymphocytic colitis-and in those with previously unexplained functional chronic diarrhea, suggesting that idiopathic BAM and microscopic colitis are often concomitant conditions. In this setting, cholestyramine seems to be highly effective in stopping diarrhea.

Aged↗

Microscopic colitis: the tip of the iceberg?

OBJECTIVES: The aims were to determine whether a wide variation exists between hospitals in the diagnosis of microscopic colitis and to assimilate clinical data. DESIGN: Retrospective study of 90 patients with microscopic colitis aged between 16 and 92 years from 11 hospitals in south-east England. METHODS: A questionnaire was designed to collect relevant data from all patients in whom a new diagnosis of microscopic colitis had been made at the source hospital between January 1990 and December 1996. The inclusion criteria were presentation with watery diarrhoea, a normal endoscopy and a histological report of microscopic colitis. Histology slides were then requested and reviewed. Clinical data were analysed with reference to the confirmed diagnosis. RESULTS: The number of patients diagnosed at each hospital ranged between zero and 30, with a median of six. Sixty-eight patients had histological slides reviewed. The numbers of patients with a final reviewed diagnosis of collagenous colitis, lymphocytic colitis and microscopic colitis, type undesignated, were 37, 18 and seven respectively. In thirty-one patients (34%) there was a recent history of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm that there is wide hospital variation in the diagnosis of microscopic colitis. Furthermore, the small group with the undesignated type may be associated with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Adolescent↗

Microscopic colitis syndrome.

The colorectal biopsy specimens from 30 patients with chronic watery diarrhoea but normal endoscopic and radiographic findings were studied by light microscopy, morphometry, immunohistochemistry, and two patients with electron microscopy. The histological changes in the colorectum were originally diagnosed in six patients as lymphocytic colitis and in 24 patients as collagenous colitis. The analysis of the specimens for this study could delineate three distinct groups of microscopic colitis: lymphocytic colitis (six patients), collagenous colitis without lymphocytic attack on the surface epithelium (seven patients), and a mixed form presenting with both thickening of the collagen plate and increased number of intraepithelial lymphocytes (17 patients). No transformation was seen from one type to another during follow up of six patients for four to seven years. Increased numbers of active pericryptal myofibroblasts were found with the electron microscope in one patient with mixed microscopic colitis showing also myofibroblasts entrapped within the collagen layer. Hitherto undescribed flat mucosa of the ileum was found in one patient with lymphocytic colitis and both flat mucosa and thickening of the collagen plate in the ileum were seen in one patient with the mixed form of the disease. In another patient with mixed microscopic colitis, normalisation of the colorectal morphology occurred after temporary loop ileostomy, followed by the reappearance of both diarrhoea, inflammation, and thickening of the collagen plate after the ileostomy was reversed. No association was found between non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) consumption and collagenous or mixed microscopic colitis. The primary cause of microscopic colitis is probably an immunological reaction to luminal antigen/s, perhaps of ileal origin. The engagement of the pericryptal myofibroblasts in the disease process might result in the development of the various forms of microscopic colitis. An inverse relation between intraepithelial lymphocyte count and collagen thickness may indicate that microscopic colitis is a spectral disease.

Adult↗

Review article: drug-induced microscopic colitis - proposal for a scoring system and review of the literature.

The pathophysiology of microscopic colitis is unknown, although it is thought to be because of an abnormal immune reaction to luminal antigens in predisposed hosts. Specific antigens have not been proved, although various infectious triggers and drugs have been proposed. The responsibility of several drugs has been questioned, some with strong clinical and/or histological evidence suggesting causality. The issue of drug-induced microscopic colitis is important because of the burden of this disease. Thus, any case that can be cured by withdrawal of a drug must be identified. In this report, we propose a scoring system for drug-induced microscopic colitis, adapting existing criteria of drug causality, and review the literature using this framework. Based on this review, several drugs are identified with intermediate or high likelihood of inducing microscopic colitis. Finally, we suggest how to treat individual patients suspected of having drug-induced colitis according to the level of evidence for that particular drug.

Colitis, Microscopic↗

Lymphocytic (microscopic) colitis. Clinicopathologic study of 18 patients and comparison to collagenous colitis.

Lymphocytic colitis, formerly called microscopic colitis, is a clinicopathologic syndrome with chronic watery diarrhea and diffuse mucosal inflammatory changes with prominent intraepithelial lymphocytes. The 18 lymphocytic colitis patients studied presented with chronic watery diarrhea at a mean age of 53.8 +/- 17 years (+/- 1 SD). Roentgenographic, endoscopic, and culture data were not diagnostic. In patients tested, there was a high prevalence of arthritis (82%) and autoantibodies (50%) but no increase in frequency of histocompatibility antigens associated with well-defined autoimmune disease (DR3, B8). Lymphocytic colitis patients were compared to 21 patients with collagenous colitis. Similarities included age, symptomatology, and nondiagnostic radiographic and endoscopic studies. However, the sex distribution was statistically different, with an equal male-to-female ratio in lymphocytic colitis and female predominance (80%) in collagenous colitis. Other differences included dissimilar histocompatibility phenotypes and collagen band on biopsies of collagenous but not lymphocytic colitis. These findings suggest that lymphocytic and collagenous colitis may be related yet distinct disorders.

Adult↗

[Microscopic colitis and collagenous colitis. An entity not yet reported in Chile].

Collagenous and microscopic colitis have been described as causes for abundant watery diarrhea with a normal radiologic and endoscopic aspect of the colonic mucosa. Microscopic colitis is characterized by diffuse intraepithelial lymphocytic infiltration and collagenous colitis by thickening of subepithelial collagen layer greater than 15 microns with or without inflammatory changes of the mucosa. Here are reported 5 patients with microscopic colitis and 4 with collagenous colitis. The mean age was 52 years (range 40 to 68) with an equal sex distribution. Diarrhea was of longstanding duration without weight loss, anemia or hypoalbuminemia. Occasionally the volume of diarrhea was over 1 L a day. One patient had steatorrhea that proved resistant to a gluten free diet. Endoscopic and radiologic findings were normal in every patient and the diagnosis was based on typical histology. Azulfidine therapy was successful in 7 patients and prednisone in another. Colonic biopsy should be performed in every patient with chronic diarrhea.

Adult↗