Ischemic Colitis in a Young Patient:

Histology of IBD and related colitides in the elderly

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are chronic relapsing diseases, affecting both children and adults with a life-long duration. An increased co-morbidity gives raise to fragility in the elderly. In this regard it should consider that several non-IBD colitides may mimic both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Moreover, chronic diseases represent a clinical challenge, mostly about treatment effectiveness. Finally, it is worth noting that patients with long-standing diseases - and elderly patients among them - have an increased malignancy risk when compared to general (non-IBD) population. Our paper aims to review the three main histological topics that play a role in the clinical management of IBD in the elderly, namely differential diagnosis, mucosal healing and IBD-associated dysplasia.

Histopathology of non-IBD colitis practical recommendations from pathologists of IG-IBD Group

Pathologists are often called upon to diagnose colitides that differ from the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These non-IBD colitides include infectious colitis, microscopic colitis, ischemic colitis, eosinophilic colitis, autoimmune enterocolitis, segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis, drug-induced colitis, radiation colitis and diversion colitis. The diagnosis of these different disease entities relies on the histopathological examination of endoscopic biopsies of the gastrointestinal tract. This paper reviews the main histomorphological characteristics of the various Non-IBD colitides.

Colonic necrosis in a young patient receiving oral kayexalate in sorbitol: case report and literature review

Kayexalate (sodium polystyrene sulfonate) is a cation-exchange resin used to treat patients with hyperkalemia. Concomitant administration of kayexalate and sorbitol may induce gastrointestinal injury, which is potentially lethal. However, this well-documented complication is often underrecognized both clinically and pathologically. We propose a typical case along with colonoscopic photos and microscopic pictures. Additionally, we also present a review of the literature on this rare drug-induced side effect.

Pathological effects of drugs on the gastrointestinal tract: a review

Drug-induced injury of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is increasingly common but generally under-recognized. Although there is an overwhelming number of drugs that are associated with adverse GI effects, there is a limited number of characteristic injury patterns that should prompt consideration of drug-induced GI pathology. These include the following: erosions, ulcers, and strictures; crystal deposition; parietal cell changes; reactive gastropathy; pseudodysplastic changes; microscopic colitis; infectious or necrotizing enterocolitis; ischemic colitis; focal active colitis; and increased epithelial apoptosis. This article reviews morphological and pathophysiological features of some of the more common and pathologically recognizable drug-related injury patterns and provides a practical guide for the recognition and diagnosis of drug-induced pathology in the upper and lower GI tract.