Collagenous colitis in a 4-year-old child: response to budesonide

Clinicopathologic Characterization of Lymphocytic Colitis in the Pediatric Population

BACKGROUND

Lymphocytic colitis (LC) in the pediatric population has been associated with immune dysregulation.

METHODS

Single-center retrospective study of pediatric LC.

RESULTS

50 patients (35 female, 70%) with a median age of 12 years at diagnosis (interquartile range: 5.7-15.8) of LC were identified. At presentation, 11 patients (22%) had malnutrition, 16 (32%) had a known underlying immune dysregulation, 4 (8%) had celiac disease (CD), and none had a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. The most common medications prior to diagnosis were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, proton pump inhibitor, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (10% each). Colonic biopsies showed a median number of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs)/100 epithelial cells of 48 (range: 25-85), and only 10% of cases had neutrophilic cryptitis. Upper gastrointestinal tract findings included lymphocytic esophagitis (4%), and duodenal IELs without and with villous blunting (9% each) (n: 47). Ten patients (23%) had increased IELs in the terminal ileum (n: 43). Treatments including 5-ASA, budesonide, prednisone, and gluten-free diet improved symptoms in <50% of patients (n: 42), and all follow-up colonoscopies showed persistent LC (n: 13).

CONCLUSION

Our study supports the association of LC with immune-mediated conditions, most commonly celiac disease. Symptomatic improvement was seen in <50% of patients with none of the patients with repeat colonoscopy showing histologic improvement.

Microscopic Colitis in a Young Male: Unveiling the Rarity

In recent decades, microscopic colitis (MC) has become increasingly recognized as a common contributor to diarrhea and lower gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly among the older demographic. The condition is distinguished by persistent diarrhea with loose watery stools, and endoscopic examination is typically normal with characteristic histopathologic findings. MC is rarely seen under 30 years of age and is less common in males. Our case highlights an exceedingly uncommon clinical setting as it involves a young male who was diagnosed with collagenous colitis. The diagnosis of MC can easily be missed by physicians during initial evaluation. Specifically in irritable bowel syndrome patients with diarrhea predominant symptoms, a colonoscopy should be performed and biopsies should be taken from the entire colon to rule out MC.

Diagnosis and Management of Microscopic Colitis in Pediatric Patients

Microscopic colitis (MC) is an inflammatory disease of the colon, characterized by chronic watery diarrhea with distinguishing histologic findings despite normal endoscopic appearance of the colonic mucosa. MC is a common cause of diarrhea in older adults, though it has been infrequently reported in children and adolescents. As MC is rare in the pediatric population, and the clinical presentation is non-specific, increased awareness of this disease amongst pediatric clinicians and pathologists is essential for timely diagnosis, which requires performing colonoscopy with biopsy. The etiology of MC is incompletely understood, but current theories in pathogenesis inform management strategies. The goals of management in pediatric MC should be to achieve symptomatic improvement while minimizing adverse effects of treatment. Many patients who achieve clinical response have symptomatic recurrence after discontinuation of initial therapy, and may require maintenance medication therapy to sustain remission. This review aims to summarize the epidemiology and risk factors, clinical features, diagnosis, theories regarding pathogenesis, and suggested management approaches for MC in the pediatric population.

Response to Mesalamine Therapy in Pediatric Collagenous Gastritis and Colitis: A Case Report and Review

Collagenous gastritis and collagenous colitis are 2 rare gastrointestinal disorders in pediatric patients. Both of these disease processes exist on a clinical spectrum, and are extremely rare to be present together in the pediatric population. Due to the rarity and unknown etiology of these disease processes, standardized treatment protocols and objective clinical biomarkers of disease progression are missing. This is the first report to describe a 16 year old female with CG and CC who responded well to mesalamine therapy, evident by decreasing calprotectin levels after initiation of therapy.

European guidelines on microscopic colitis: United European Gastroenterology and European Microscopic Colitis Group statements and recommendations

INTRODUCTION

Microscopic colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterised by normal or almost normal endoscopic appearance of the colon, chronic watery, nonbloody diarrhoea and distinct histological abnormalities, which identify three histological subtypes, the collagenous colitis, the lymphocytic colitis and the incomplete microscopic colitis. With ongoing uncertainties and new developments in the clinical management of microscopic colitis, there is a need for evidence-based guidelines to improve the medical care of patients suffering from this disorder.

METHODS

Guidelines were developed by members from the European Microscopic Colitis Group and United European Gastroenterology in accordance with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II instrument. Following a systematic literature review, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology was used to assess the certainty of the evidence. Statements and recommendations were developed by working groups consisting of gastroenterologists, pathologists and basic scientists, and voted upon using the Delphi method.

RESULTS

These guidelines provide information on epidemiology and risk factors of microscopic colitis, as well as evidence-based statements and recommendations on diagnostic criteria and treatment options, including oral budesonide, bile acid binders, immunomodulators and biologics. Recommendations on the clinical management of microscopic colitis are provided based on evidence, expert opinion and best clinical practice.

CONCLUSION

These guidelines may support clinicians worldwide to improve the clinical management of patients with microscopic colitis.

Lymphocytic and collagenous colitis in children and adolescents: Comprehensive clinicopathologic analysis with long-term follow-up

Microscopic colitis (MC) is characterized by chronic watery diarrhea, endoscopically normal findings, and abnormal histology. While mostly encountered in adults, pediatric cases are rare and may show varying presentations. Our pathology data system was searched from 1984 to 2019 for patients ≤18 years of age with a lymphocytic colitis (LC) or collagenous colitis (CC) pattern of injury. Twenty-seven cases (23 LC and 4 CC) were retrieved. LC was more prevalent than CC (85% vs 15%, respectively) and affected slightly younger individuals (mean, 9.8 years versus 12.25 years). Immune dysregulation was documented in 11 (41%) patients. Most patients presented with watery diarrhea (n = 26, 96%) and either abdominal pain (n = 18, 67%), nausea/vomiting (n = 5, 19%), flatulence (n = 6, 22%), and/or weight loss (n = 1, 4%). A subset of patients (n = 10, 37%) demonstrated endoscopic abnormalities. Histologically, some patients with LC and CC displayed focal cryptitis or crypt abscess formation (n = 7, 26%) and focally increased crypt apoptosis (n = 9, 33%) in the absence of chronic injury. Clinical follow-up data were available for 23 (85%) patients with variable clinical responses recorded. Only 8 patients experienced complete symptom resolution. Twelve patients (11 LC and 1 CC) had subsequent biopsy material; of which, one developed histologic features of inflammatory bowel disease and another was found to have a CTLA-4 deficiency. Our study shows that pediatric patients with MC may have atypical clinical, histologic, and endoscopic findings and variable clinical responses. Underlying inflammatory and/or genetic conditions may be eventually unmasked, and genetic testing may be helpful in a small subset of patients.

Collagenous gastritis: An unusual cause of generalized oedema in a child

Collagenous gastritis is an uncommon gastrointestinal disease in children. Its cause remains uncertain. It may present as severe hypoproteinaemia manifesting as generalized oedema. We report a 15 months old female who presented with pica, generalized body oedema and diarrhoea. Diagnostic workup revealed gastric replacement of the lamina propria by hyalinized collagen on histology. This case seeks to highlight the need for early paediatric gastroenterology referral including oesophagogastroduodenoscopy with multiple tissue biopsies as part of a broad diagnostic workup in children with non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms to improve diagnostic yield and enable accurate histologic diagnosis, so that appropriate therapy can be timeously applied.

Advances for improved diagnosis of microscopic colitis in patients with chronic diarrhoea

Microscopic colitis is a generic term that includes 2 main forms, collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis, and describes a form of inflammatory bowel disease with a chronic and relapsing course. The incidence of microscopic colitis is between 2 and 8 times higher in women than in men, although age, more than sex, increases the risk of collagenous colitis (odds ratio [OR] 8.3 for age ≥65 vs. <65 and OR 2.8 for women). The main symptom is chronic non-bloody watery diarrhoea. Other common symptoms include abdominal pain (50%-70%), with the result that many patients with microscopic colitis meet criteria for irritable bowel syndrome. Colonoscopy with multiple colonic biopsies is currently recommended, as histological changes are the main characteristic feature. The colonic mucosa is macroscopically normal, although certain minimal endoscopic abnormalities have been described.

Current concepts on microscopic colitis: evidence-based statements and recommendations of the Spanish Microscopic Colitis Group

BACKGROUND

Microscopic colitis (MC) is an underdiagnosed inflammatory bowel disease.

AIM

To develop an evidence-based clinical practice guide on MC current concepts.

METHODS

Literature search was done on the Cochrane Library, EMBASE and MEDLINE electronic databases, which were consulted covering the period up until March 2015. Work groups were selected for each of the reviewed topics, with the purpose of drafting the initial statements and recommendations. They subsequently underwent a voting process based on the Delphi method. Each statement/recommendation was accompanied by the result of the vote the level of evidence, and discussion of the corresponding evidence. The grade of recommendation (GR) using the GRADE approach was established for diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

RESULTS

Some key statements and recommendations are: advancing age increases the risk of developing MC, mainly in females. The symptoms of MC and IBS-D may be similar. If MC is suspected, colonoscopy taking biopsies is mandatory. Treatment with oral budesonide is recommended to induce clinical remission in patients with MC. Oral mesalazine is not recommended in patients with collagenous colitis for the induction of clinical remission. The use of anti-TNF-alpha drugs (infliximab, adalimumab) is recommended for the induction of remission in severe cases of MC that fail to respond to corticosteroids or immunomodulators, as an alternative to colectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first consensus paper on MC based on GRADE methodology. This initiative may help physicians involved in care of these patients in taking decisions based on evidence.

Collagenous colitis associated with protein losing enteropathy in a toddler

Collagenous mucosal inflammatory disease is a rare gastrointestinal disorder that involves the columnar lining of gastric and intestinal mucosa and is characterized by a distinct subepithelial collagen deposition. Recent clinical and pathological evidence have indicated that collagenous mucosal inflammatory disease can be extensive disease that may concomitantly involve several gastrointestinal sites at the same time. This entity, however, occurs infrequently in children. It is even less common to find concomitant depositions of collagen in the mucosa of gastrointestinal sites other than the colon. Only two cases in pediatric literature reported concomitant involvement, one with gastric and colonic involvement and the other one with gastroduodenocolitis. We are reporting a 15-month-old boy who presented with severe diarrhea and diffuse edema secondary to hypoalbuminemia. Further testing documented protein losing enteropathy (PLE) associated with collagenous colitis.

Clinical features and treatment responses in pediatric lymphocytic and collagenous colitis

OBJECTIVE

Microscopic colitis (MC) is prevalent in adults investigated for chronic watery diarrhea, yet characterization of pediatric MC is limited.

METHODS

Our pathology database was searched from 1995 to 2011 for pediatric cases of lymphocytic colitis (LC) or collagenous colitis (CC). Those with diarrhea persisting for >2 weeks and visually normal colonoscopy were accepted as cases. Demographics, laboratory results, medication use within 3 months of presentation, medical and family history of autoimmune disease, and response to treatment were abstracted.

RESULTS

A total of 27 cases were histologically consistent with MC on biopsy; 5 with concomitant enteric infection or isolated abdominal pain were excluded. Twenty-two cases of MC (female patients, 59%; median age at diagnosis, 15.3 years) were included (19 LC and 3 CC). Two had type 1 diabetes mellitus, 2 were anti-nuclear antibody positive, and 2 had common variable immunodeficiency. Of 20 patients who underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, 1 had collagenous sprue and 4 had celiac disease. One presented after the clearance of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Previous drug exposures included nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n = 7), proton pump inhibitors (n = 6), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (n = 3). Common symptoms in addition to diarrhea included abdominal pain (77.3%) and weight loss (27.3%). Of 17 patients with follow-up, all of the 8 treated with steroids had some response: 57.1% (4/7) responded to mesalamine and 42.9% (3/7) responded to bismuth subsalicylate.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort of pediatric patients, LC was much more common than CC. As described in adults, we observed associations with celiac disease, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and medications; we additionally saw an association with immunodeficiency. Our patients showed greater response to steroids than mesalamine or bismuth.

Microscopic colitis in children with chronic diarrhea

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to study microscopic colitis (MC) in children with special reference to its role in chronic diarrhea and changes in mucosal biopsies.

METHODS

A total of 100 consecutive children ages 3 to 12 years, with nonbloody diarrhea (passage of ≥3 loose stools per day) of >12 weeks' duration were screened and 26 were enrolled in the study in which no specific etiology could be found and colonoscopy did not reveal any mucosal abnormality. Colonic biopsies were evaluated for the presence of lymphocytic colitis or collagenous colitis and those with the characteristic changes were defined to have MC (group A). Colonic biopsies from patients with MC were compared with biopsies from patients with chronic diarrhea but no evidence of MC (group B). One hundred children ages 3 to 12 years with bleeding per rectum were screened and colonic biopsies from 45 patients (group C) who had colonic mucosal changes but no vascular or polyp lesion were compared with patients with MC.

RESULTS

Of the 26 patients with chronic diarrhea, MC was found in 5 (3 lymphocytic colitis and 2 collagenous colitis). Significantly higher polymorphonuclear infiltration was seen in group A as compared with group B (13.8 [5.4-20.6] vs 7.2 [0-19.6]; P = 0.03) or group C (13.8 [5.4-20.6] vs 4 [0-13.4]; P = 0.007). Intraepithelial lymphocytes (12 [4-32] vs 4 [0-24]; P = 0.008) and basement membrane thickening (3.5 [2.9-10.6] vs 2.5 [1.6-5.86]; P = 0.008) were also significantly higher in group A as compared with group C.

CONCLUSIONS

MC was found to be present in children with nonbloody chronic diarrhea in children. Further multicentric studies may provide adequate data on its prevalence.

Collagenous colitis in children and adolescents: study of 7 cases and literature review

The aim of this study is to examine the clinical and pathologic characteristics of collagenous colitis (CC) in children and adolescents. Seven patients (five females and two males, median age: 13 years, ranging from 4 to 16) were included. Four (of 7, 57%) patients presented with non-bloody watery diarrhea, one with alternating constipation and diarrhea with rectal prolapse, one with constipation, and one with normal bowel movement. Abdominal pain and weight loss were manifested in 80 and 40% patients, respectively. Two patients had celiac disease in remission. None of the patients took non-steroidal antiinflammatory agents. All patients had normal colonoscopy, but had typical histologic features of CC in colon biopsies. Four patients had clinical follow-up (24-75 months duration, median 54 months): three patients had no gastrointestinal symptoms upon follow-up, but one patient had continued symptoms of alternating diarrhea and constipation. Two patients had follow-up biopsies: one showed persistence of CC, and one had complete histologic resolution. We conclude that while CC is rare in children and adolescents, the clinical presentation is similar to adults, with a female preponderance, presentation with diarrhea and abdominal pain, and an association with celiac disease and other autoimmune disorders. However, compared with adults, children and adolescents are more likely to have weight loss and an atypical presentation including alternating constipation and diarrhea, constipation alone or normal bowel movements. Treatment is less standardized in children and adolescents with CC.

Microscopic colitis: Current status, present and future challenges: statements of the European Microscopic Colitis Group

Microscopic colitis (MC) is an inflammatory bowel disease presenting with chronic, non-bloody watery diarrhoea and few or no endoscopic abnormalities. The histological examination reveals mainly two subtypes of MC, lymphocytic or collagenous colitis. Despite the fact that the incidence in MC has been rising over the last decades, research has been sparse and our knowledge about MC remains limited. Specialists in the field have initiated the European Microscopic Colitis Group (EMCG) with the primary goal to create awareness on MC. The EMCG is furthermore a forum with the intention to promote clinical and basic research. In this article statements and comments are given that all members of the EMCG have considered being of importance for a better understanding of MC. The paper focuses on the newest updates in epidemiology, symptoms and diagnostic criteria, pathophysiology and highlights some unsolved problems. Moreover, a new treatment algorithm is proposed on the basis of new evidence from well-designed, randomized control trials.

Familial collagenous colitis involving a 6-year old child

Collagenous colitis is a recognised cause of persistent, non-bloody, watery diarrhoea. There are few cases of collagenous colitis reported in children or occurring within families. To our knowledge, no familial cases under 14 years of age have been reported previously; we describe a case of familial collagenous colitis affecting a 6-year old girl and her mother. The relevant published literature is reviewed and management is discussed. Colonic mucosal biopsies should be considered in both adults and children presenting with persistent watery diarrhoea even in the absence of any macroscopic abnormality at colonoscopy.