title: Microscopic colitis. Identical clinical presentations of subtypes create diagnostic challenges.
abstract: The diagnosis of microscopic colitis should be considered in patients presenting with chronic watery diarrhea, especially middle-aged and elderly women. Diagnosis is established by colonoscopic biopsies showing histologic changes in the setting of endoscopically normal mucosa. Although the etiology of microscopic colitis remains unknown, a wide variety of effective medical treatments is available.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Lahey Clinic, 41 Mall Rd, Burlington, MA 01805, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barto
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heller
mesh_terms: D003092:Colitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans