Collagenous colitis in adult Sri Lankans: experience from the Indian subcontinent

• Published in: Gut Vol. 55; no. 3; p. 436
• Main Authors: Satarasinghe, R L, Fernando, H R R, Jayamaha, D H, Samarasinghe, I, De Silva, A P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Society of Gastroenterology 01.03.2006; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Abdomen; Adult; Age; Biopsy; Colitis, Collagenous - epidemiology; collagenous colitis; Colon; Diagnosis, Differential; Diarrhea; Endoscopy; Female; Humans; Indian subcontinent; Inflammatory bowel disease; Irritable bowel syndrome; Irritable Bowel Syndrome - diagnosis; Letter; Male; Middle Aged; Pain; Retrospective Studies; Sri Lanka - epidemiology; Sri Lanka
• ISSN: 0017-5749; 1468-3288
• DOI: 10.1136/gut.2005.084681

Collagenous colitis is increasingly recognised as a variant of chronic inflammatory bowel disease, which causes chronic watery diarrhoea, predominantly affecting women in the sixth or seventh decade. 1 In contrast, in our series, a female preponderance was not observed and mean age at presentation was much younger (approximately 35 years of age). Autoimmune mechanisms, cytokine pleomorphism, commensal bacteria, infective agents, various proinflammatory mediators, and nitrous oxide have all been implicated in the pathogenesis. 2 Whatever the mechanisms, these were not severe enough to cause significant abnormalities in our routine investigations or on clinical examination.