Search

Background: Microscopic colitis (MC) and irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBSD) have a similar clinical and endoscopic presentation. The prevalence of MC in Mexican patients with IBS-D is unknown., Objectives: To find out the prevalence of MC in patients with IBS-D and compare it with the one observed in patients with IBS with constipation (IBS-C)., Methods: All patients with IBS (Rome III) seen consecutively from January 2008 to August 2010 were included. Those with organic disease, alarm signs, mixed IBS or unsubtyped- IBS (Rome III) were excluded. Colonoscopy with biopsies was performed in all patients that were examined by two pathologists who did not know the clinical characteristics of the subjects. MC was defined according with the universally accepted histological criteria., Results: 155 patients with IBS-D and 145 with IBS-C were studied. Both groups were matched from the standpoint of age, gender ratio and time course of disease. MC was detected in 28 patients with IBS-D and in one with IBS-C (18% vs. 0.7%, p <0.0001). Fifteen patients with lymphocytic colitis and 14 with collagenous colitis were detected. The endoscopic appearance of the colon mucosa was normal in 20 of the 29 patients with MC (69%)., Conclusions: The prevalence of MC in patients with IBS-D was 18%, significantly higher than the one observed in patients with IBS-C. Colonic mucosa had a normal appearance in most of the patients with MC. Systematic biopsies are recommended in patients with IBS-D.

Background: the endoscopic evaluation of the colonic mucosa complemented with biopsy sampling may be very useful in the study of patients with chronic diarrhea. However its value in daily practice has not been extensively explored., Objective: to know the utility of colonoscopy with systematic biopsy sampling in the study of the patients with chronic diarrhea., Material and Methods: patients with chronic diarrhea (loose stools and frequent bowel movements for at least four weeks) were examined with colonoscopy and biopsy sampling for systematic histologic examination; even in patients with a normal-appearing mucosa. Patients with the following were excluded: a diagnosis of HIV infection/AIDS, previous colon surgery, known inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia or involuntary weight loss., Results: a total of 109 patients were included (63 females, mean age 52 years). Colonoscopy was normal in 53 cases (49%) and abnormal in 56 (51%). The biopsies showed a specific disease in 31 cases (28%), non-specific changes in 58 (53%) and normal mucosa in 20 (18%). Microscopic colitis (lymphocytic or collagenous colitis) was detected in 12 cases (11%) all of them with a normal colonoscopy. Colonoscopy with systematic biopsy sampling allowed making a specific diagnosis in 31 of patients (28%)., Conclusions: colonoscopy with systematic biopsy sampling is very useful in the study of patients with chronic diarrhea, since it established a specific diagnosis in 28% of the patients and 11% with microscopic colitis, all of them with normal mucosa.