New insights and challenges in microscopic colitis

Microscopic colitis found together with celiac disease in a female population is associated with one episode of lymphocytic colitis

BACKGROUND

Microscopic colitis (MC) is considered a chronic disease associated with autoimmune disease, smoking, and drugs. The aim was to examine the association between MC and celiac disease, adjusted for smoking, considering subtypes and clinical course of the disease in a retrospectively collected female cohort.

METHODS

Women (n = 240), ≤ 73 years, diagnosed as MC in medical records or pathological registers were invited. One hundred and fifty-eight women accepted to be included. Participants completed a study questionnaire about sociodemographic factors, lifestyle habits, and medical history; the Rome III questionnaire; and the visual analog scale for irritable bowel syndrome (VAS-IBS). Participants were categorized into collagenous colitis (CC) (n = 92) and lymphocytic colitis (LC) (n = 66) or MC with one episode of the disease (n = 70) and refractory MC (n = 88). Presence of IBS-like symptoms were noted. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for anti-transglutaminase antibodies. Differences between groups were calculated and logistic regression was adjusted for smoking habits.

RESULTS

MC and celiac disease debuted simultaneously in half of the cases. Celiac disease was most prevalent in LC (12.1% vs. 3.3%; p = 0.05) and MC with one episode (12.9% vs. 2.3%; p = 0.01). Anti-transglutaminase antibodies were found in one patient with one episode of MC. Corticosteroid use was most often found in CC (37.0% vs. 21.2%; p = 0.037) and refractory MC (38.6% vs. 20.0%; p = 0.015). Past smokers were most prevalent in patients with one episode of MC (54.3 vs. 29.5%; p = 0.007). Current smoking was the smoking habit with highest prevalence of IBS-like symptoms. When adjusted for smoking habits, celiac disease was associated with LC (OR: 4.222; 95% CI: 1.020-17.469; p = 0.047) and tended to be inversely associated with refractory MC (OR: 0.210; 95% CI: 0.042-1.506; p = 0.058).

CONCLUSION

Celiac disease is most common in patients with one episode of LC. The question remains whether LC in combination with celiac disease should be classified as celiac disease or two different entities.

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.

Safety of surfactant excipients in oral drug formulations

Surfactants are a diverse group of compounds that share the capacity to adsorb at the boundary between distinct phases of matter. They are used as pharmaceutical excipients, food additives, emulsifiers in cosmetics, and as household/industrial detergents. This review outlines the interaction of surfactant-type excipients present in oral pharmaceutical dosage forms with the intestinal epithelium of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Many surfactants permitted for human consumption in oral products reduce intestinal epithelial cell viability in vitro and alter barrier integrity in epithelial cell monolayers, isolated GI tissue mucosae, and in animal models. This suggests a degree of mis-match for predicting safety issues in humans from such models. Recent controversial preclinical research also infers that some widely used emulsifiers used in oral products may be linked to ulcerative colitis, some metabolic disorders, and cancers. We review a wide range of surfactant excipients in oral dosage forms regarding their interactions with the GI tract. Safety data is reviewed across in vitro, ex vivo, pre-clinical animal, and human studies. The factors that may mitigate against some of the potentially abrasive effects of surfactants on GI epithelia observed in pre-clinical studies are summarised. We conclude with a perspective on the overall safety of surfactants in oral pharmaceutical dosage forms, which has relevance for delivery system development.

Loose ends in the differential diagnosis of IBS-like symptoms

Two thirds of the patients we believed to have IBS in the 1970's have since been possible to diagnose with treatable conditions like bile acid diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, microscopic colitis, celiac disease, disaccharide malabsorption, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or rare genetic variants. Despite advances in diagnostic techniques a substantial proportion of patients continue suffering from IBS-like symptoms that cannot be explained by current knowledge. Although it is likely that further research will reveal small but important subgroups of patients with treatable mechanisms for IBS-like symptoms, we propose that only two large groups remain for being addressed in the clinic: those with connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorders and those with autism spectrum disorders. Patients with connective tissue disorders exhibit identifiable disturbances of gut motor function and possibly increased gut permeability as underlying mechanisms for IBS-like symptoms. Autism spectrum disorders pose a much more difficult problem in the clinic. Disturbances of perception combined with anxiety and excessive worry about signals from the gut can lead to an endless but futile search for something being wrong. The search can involve large numbers of care givers, no one understanding the patient's suffering. Others may try to change their diet to lessen symptoms, only to find that almost all foods may cause worrying perceptions from the gut. Early recognition of autism spectrum disorders is essential for finding better ways to help patients with gastrointestinal and, as is often the case, extraintestinal symptoms.

Collagenous Colitis in a Patient With Gastric Cancer Who Underwent Chemotherapy

Herein, we present a case of collagenous colitis in a patient who underwent chemotherapy for gastric cancer, comprising five cycles of S-1 plus oxaliplatin and trastuzumab, followed by five cycles of paclitaxel and ramucirumab and seven cycles of nivolumab. The subsequent initiation of trastuzumab deruxtecan chemotherapy led to the development of grade 3 diarrhea after the second cycle of treatment. Collagenous colitis was diagnosed via colonoscopy and biopsy. The patient's diarrhea improved following the cessation of lansoprazole. This case highlights the importance of considering collagenous colitis as a differential diagnosis, in addition to chemotherapy-induced colitis and immune-related adverse event (irAE) colitis, in patients with similar clinical presentations.

Microscopic colitis in older adults: impact, diagnosis, and management

Microscopic colitis (comprising lymphocytic and collagenous colitis, albeit an incomplete variant is gaining recognition as well) is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory state of the lower gastrointestinal tract (colon). The diagnosis requires diagnostic colonoscopy with characteristic histopathological findings. They have a propensity to present in senior populations (above 60 years of age), particularly women – who are approximately 2.5–3 times more likely to develop microscopic colitis. Preexisting other immune-inflammatory diseases are also shown to predispose patients for the development of microscopic colitis. The classic presentation is profuse watery diarrhea, often during the night or early morning hours. Fecal incontinence and abdominal pain are frequent as well. Thus, the disease impacts patients’ quality of life and well-being. The first described cases date back to the seventies and eighties of the twentieth century, thereby they can be considered fairly recently discovered disease states. Our understanding of the disease and its pathophysiology is still incomplete. Although there is a lack of unified recommendation for treatment, most clinicians prefer the use of budesonide, and most published guidelines regard this locally acting glucocorticoid as the therapy of choice. In our article, we aimed for a brief, noncomprehensive overview of the clinical significance, diagnosis, and management of microscopic colitis.

Microscopic colitis: controversies in clinical symptoms and autoimmune comorbidities

BACKGROUND

Microscopic colitides are chronic immune-inflammatory bowel diseases. The typical presentation is chronic, watery diarrhoea. Inflammation mostly cannot be visualized via macroscopic inspection. The diagnosis thus requires histologic sampling. The clinical picture can vary. New investigations can prove valuable in setting up recommendations.

PATIENTS

A total of 103 patients with microscopic colitis (MC) [28 lymphocytic colitis (LC) 27.2%, 75 collagenous colitis (CC) 72.8%] in the Clinical Centre of the University of Debrecen (tertiary care centre) were included, diagnosed between 1993 and 2020. We aimed for a retrospective analysis characterizing Hungarian MC patients. We sought to compare two subgroups of patients (with either LC or CC). Our investigation focussed on dominant alteration of stool habits, autoimmune and allergic comorbidities. Autoimmune diseases were diagnosed in 39% (40) of the patients, allergic diseases in 26.2% (27) of patients and 22.2% of tested patients had alimentary hypersensitivity to certain foods (18 cases out of 81 tested).

RESULTS

Age of diagnosis was younger in LC (44.5 years, SD: 5.3 vs. 51.9 years, SD: 12.8, difference= 7.4 years p = .0151). Autoimmune diseases were equally frequent in the two groups (LC: 10 patients 36%, CC: 30 patients, 40%, difference: 4%, p = .7124). Food-linked hypersensitivities were more common in CC (LC: 1 patient, CC: 17 patients). Difference in allergic diseases (asthma, rhinitis, urticaria) did not differ between groups (LC: 6 patients, 21%; CC: 21 patients, 28%, difference: 7% p = .4739). One-third of the patients did not complain about chronic diarrhoea. These patients had chronic constipation as the main symptom (34 patients, 33%).

CONCLUSION

Pre-existing autoimmune and allergic diseases were common in patients with MC. Chronic watery diarrhoea is not experienced in many cases. The absence of certain symptoms should not be used to rule out the condition.

Microscopic colitis and its associations with complications observed in classic inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review

Objectives: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are associated with an increased risk to develop anemia, cutaneous diseases, liver diseases, malignancy, osteoporosis, rheumatic diseases, thromboembolism and uveitis. The association between these diseases and microscopic colitis (MC) is not known. The aim of the present systematic review was to examine associations between MC and diseases observed in association with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.Material and methods: According to the review protocol, original articles which described the prevalence of abovementioned diseases in relation to MC, were searched for in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science.Results: After exclusion of duplicates, 928 articles remained. Based on relevancy of their title, abstract or type of article, 16 articles were ordered in full text and after assessment, nine articles could be included in the review. A second research strategy with individual diseases rendered further two articles. Seven articles covered malignancy/neoplasia, where four showed no association with malignancy and three a reduced association compared with controls. Four articles covering rheumatic diseases showed an association between these diseases and MC. One study showed an association between MC and osteoporosis, whereas one did not. One study showed an association between MC and cutaneous diseases, whereas anemia, eye diseases and thromboembolism showed no associations.Conclusions: Due to short follow-up time in small studies, with selection bias due to exclusion of former or prevalent malignancy in an older population, no conclusions can be drawn concerning the true association between MC and malignancy. Rheumatic diseases seem to be associated with MC.

Microscopic colitis-microbiome, barrier function and associated diseases

Microscopic colitis (MC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with little in terms of endoscopic abnormalities and is frequently associated with other autoimmune diseases. The peak incidence of the disease is in middle aged or older populations, mostly females. The pathogenesis of MC is complex, multifactorial and poorly understood. Current concepts revolve around innate immunity or microbiome alterations as well as gut barrier dysfunction, all of which lead to the development of subtle inflammatory lesions in gut mucosa. The results of numerous basic and clinical studies involving molecular techniques as well as advanced endoscopic imaging revealed the important role of both intrinsic (e.g., hormonal) as well as extrinsic (e.g., NSAIDs and PPIs) factors in the modulation of gastrointestinal microbiome and MC pathogenesis. Capsule endoscopy as well confocal endomicroscopy imaging, alongside standard endoscopic techniques offer new tools in the evaluation of MC patients and allow their better stratification for novel treatment protocols based on modulation of gut microbiome and barrier function.

Genetic Variation and Gene Expression Levels of Tight Junction Genes Indicates Relationships Between PTEN as well as MAGI1 and Microscopic Colitis

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Microscopic colitis (MC) has been associated with increased paracellular permeability. Therefore, we aimed to investigate potential associations between MC and several genes encoding tight junction (TJ) proteins reported to interact with each other.

METHODS

The association between MC and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP; n = 63) within TJ genes (F11R, MAGI1, MAGI2, MAGI3, PARD3, PTEN, and TJP1) were investigated in a case-control study (n _{MC patients} = 104 and n _controls = 423). The genes that exhibited an association with MC were further investigated for gene expression related to genotype, MC phenotype, and gender using colonic biopsies from MC patients (n = 25) and controls (n = 58).

RESULTS

Based on the number of investigated genes and after correction for multiple testing, an association was detected between a SNP marker in PTEN (rs1234224) and both MC overall (OR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.23-2.34, p = 0.001) and collagenous colitis (CC; OR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.22-2.62, p = 0.003). Further, SNP markers in MAGI1 (rs17417230) and F11R (rs790055) were associated with MC overall (OR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.14-2.19, p = 0.006) and with CC (OR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.27-5.25, p = 0.007), respectively. However, none of the associated SNPs contributed markedly to the expression of the respective genes. Nonetheless, decreased MAGI1 (p = 3.47 × 10^-4) and PTEN (p = 0.004) expression was associated with lymphocytic colitis (LC) and CC, respectively, compared to controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased expression of PTEN and MAGI1 in the colonic mucosa might contribute to the pathogenesis of MC and its sub-phenotypes. Furthermore, our study indicates that genetic variants of TJ components are predisposing factors in the etiology of MC. Finally, F11R, MAGI1, and PTEN are new candidate genes that exhibit an association with MC.

Evaluation by MR Enterocolonography of Lansoprazole-induced Collagenous Colitis Accompanied with Protein-losing Enteropathy

We herein describe a 69-year-old man suffering from chronic diarrhea caused by lansoprazole (LPZ)-induced collagenous colitis (CC) accompanied with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), diagnosed by increased fecal alpha-1 antitrypsin clearance and the findings of leakage from the descending colon to the sigmoid colon on scintigraphy. MR enterocolonography (MREC) was also performed for differentiating digestive diseases, and inflamed findings were observed around the same portion as those on scintigraphy, suggesting that this region was responsible for protein loss in this case. The MREC findings improved after the cessation of LPZ, and hypoalbuminemia also improved simultaneously. This case suggests that MREC may be a new and useful diagnostic tool for CC with PLE.

Emerging Topics in Gastroenterology

The bacteria and fungi in the human gut make up a community of microorganisms that lives in symbiosis with humans, engaging in numerous diverse interactions that influence health. This article outlines the current knowledge on emerging topics in gastroenterology, including microbiome and probiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, cyclic vomiting syndrome, eosinophilic esophagitis, and microscopic colitis.

Review: chronic and persistent diarrhea with a focus in the returning traveler

Background

Travelers’ diarrhea is a common malady afflicting up to 50% of travelers after a 2-week travel period. An appreciable percentage of these cases will become persistent or chronic. We summarized the published literature reporting persistent/chronic diarrhea in travelers elucidating current understanding of disease incidence, etiology and regional variability.

Methods

We searched electronic databases (Medline, Embase, and Cochrane database of clinical trials) from 1990 to 2015 using the following terms: “chronic or persistent diarrh* and (returning) travel* or enteropathogen, GeoSentinel, and travel-associated infection. Included studies published in the English language on adult returning travelers (duration < 3-months) reporting denominator data. Point estimates and standard 95% confidence intervals were calculated for incidence using a random-effects model. Study incidence heterogeneity rates were assessed using x² heterogeneity statistics, graphically represented with Forest plots.

Results

We identified 19 studies meeting the inclusion criteria (all published after 1999). 18 studies reported upon the incidence of persistent/chronic diarrhea as a syndromic diagnosis in returning travelers; one study reported adequate denominator data from which to assess pathogen specific etiology. Giardiasis comprise an appreicaible percentage of infectious mediated persistent/chronic diarrhea in returning travelers. The overall estimate of persistent/chronic diarrhea incidence was 6% (0.05–0.07) in 321,454, travelers; with significant heterogeniety observed across regions. The total number of regional travelers, and point estimates for incidence (95% CI) for Latin American, African, and Asian travelers were [15816 (0.09 [0.07–0.11]), 42290 (0.06 [0.05–0.07]), and 27433 (0.07 [0.06–0.09])] respectively. We identified lower published rates of chronic diarrhea from Sub-Saharan Africa relative to [North Africa, South Central Asia, and Central America]. Persistent/chronic diarrhea ranked fourth as a syndromic diagnosis in all regions.

Conclusions

Persistent/Chronic diarrhea is a leading syndromic diagnosis in returning travelers across all regions. The 6% incidence [proportionate morbidity (PM) of 60] observed in over >300,000 global travelers is comparable to prior estimates. We identified lower published rates of chronic diarrhea from Sub-Saharan Africa relative to [North Africa, South Central Asia, and Central America]. Giardiasis comprises an appreciabile percentatge of travel-associated infectious mediated persistent/chronic diarrhea. There’s a dearth of published data characterizing the incidence of specific enteropathogenic etiologies for persistent/chronic diarrhea in returning travelers.

CD3 immunohistochemical staining in diagnosis of lymphocytic colitis

Microscopic colitis (MC) is a common cause of chronic watery diarrhea. Traditionally, MC encompasses the 2 subgroups lymphocytic colitis (LC) and collagenous colitis, but recently, an additional subgroup, MC incomplete, has been introduced. Distinguishing between the subgroups relies exclusively on histopathologic evaluation. In the present study, 4 pathologists evaluated 156 archived biopsies originally diagnosed as LC or LC incomplete (LCi). Each pathologist assigned a diagnosis of LC, LCi, or nonspecific inflammation to all cases at 2 independent assessments. At the first assessment, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stainings were available. At the second assessment, a supplementary CD3 immunohistochemical staining was also available. The aim was to evaluate whether a supplementary CD3 would increase the diagnostic agreement among pathologists, and whether a CD3 stain would change the diagnosis based on HE staining only. After the complete assessment, the cases were divided into 3 groups, that is, full agreement, partial agreement, and disagreement. The CD3 staining increased the number of cases with full agreement from 60 to 78. One hundred thirty-one cases with agreement or partial diagnostic agreement based on HE + CD3 were compared with the HE diagnoses. In 44 (34%) of 131 cases, CD3 changed the diagnosis. Cases assigned to the LCi category based on HE were often changed by a supplementary CD3. Conclusively, it is recommended to use a CD3 before giving the histopathologic diagnosis of LCi.

Microscopic colitis in patients with Takayasu's arteritis: a potential association between the two disease entities

The association of Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has previously been reported in case series. Microscopic colitis (MC) has IBD-like symptoms with regard to clinical and histopathological feature. We aim to assess the presence of MC in TAK patients in this study. We cross-sectionally assessed TAK patients, between the ages of 18-65 years, who were diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. Disease activity was evaluated by Kerr's criteria. Age- and sex-matched irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients were selected as control group. All patients and controls have been interviewed for IBD and IBS symptoms using the questionnaires of WHO guideline and Rome III criteria, respectively. Lower endoscopic procedure was performed with at least five random biopsies taken from different colonic segments and the terminal ileum. A blinded expert pathologist evaluated the specimens for the features of MC. Thirty TAK patients (29 females and 1 male) with the mean age of 35 ± 11 years (range, 20-59 years) and 15 IBS controls with the mean age of 38 ± 13 years were included in the study. TAK patients all fulfilled the MC criteria (three "complete" and six "incomplete" cases). MC was found to be significantly higher in active TAK patients in comparison to inactive group (67 vs 14 %, p = 0.03, OR = 7.9). Our results show that there is an increased frequency of MC in TAK patients, and this is the first report on the association of TAK and MC.