title: [Colonic histiocytosis (author's transl)].
abstract: Macrophages accumulating various substances can be detected in the mucosa of the small and large bowel under physiological and various pathological conditions. Among these the so-called PAS-positive macrophages have attracted much attention in recent times. Abundant occurrence of such cells in the intestinal mucosa has been termed "colonic histiocytosis". The occurrence of PAS-positive macrophages was investigated in 200 unselected and otherwise normal biopsy specimens of rectal mucosa; no correlation was found between the occurrence of these cells on the one hand and any intestinal or extraintestinal disease on the other. PAS-positive macrophages were mostly found close to the surface of the mucosa or to the cryptal epithelium as well as between the crypts. It is suggested to abandon the term "colonic histiocytosis" since it induces a false impression of a disease entity in the clinician (and may be related falsely e.g. to "histiocytosis X", and since the clinician may tend to attribute unnecessary importance to this harmless finding.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D003248:Constipation / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000473:pathology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010503:Periodic Acid-Schiff Reaction; D013194:Staining and Labeling
vernacular_title: PAS-positive Makrophagen in der Kolonschleimhaut -- Kritische Anmerkungen zum Begriff der "Kolonhistiozytose"