[Microscopic colitis].
OBJECTIVE
Various case presentations in the literature discussed that frequent watery diarrheas introduce the clinical picture of microscopic colitis and intermittent or continuous diarrhea can remain. On the other hand, numerous cases never suffered from episodes of diarrhea but suffered from chronic constipation definitely. The authors present their first observations in Hungary.


METHODS
A cohort of patients with independently confirmed typical histopathological changes was investigated. 53 patients with histologically proved MC (46 with CC, 7 with LC) were included. The existence of diarrhea or constipation and the co-existence of autoimmune diseases also investigated and all data were retrospectively analyzed.


RESULTS
In contrast of the literature, about half of the patients had chronic constipation and cca. 50% of MC patients had autoimmune disease and the diagnosis of autoimmune disease was always prior to MC.


CONCLUSIONS
Causes of inducing and amplifying the processes of "remodelling" the gut wall are thought to be unknown, but the results are: altered structure (and function?). All useful observations of this study may enrich the practice and can help these patients.
Barta
Zsolt
Z
Debreceni Egyetem, Orvos- es Egészségtudományi Centrum, Belgyógyászati Intézet, Altalános Orvostudományi Kar, III. Belgyógyászati Klinika, Debrecen.
Szabó
G Gábor
GG
Zeher
Margit
M
Szegedi
Gyula
G
D000328:Adult; D003092:Colitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D003094:Collagen