Introduction:

Microscopic colitis is a benign and multifactorial disease characterized by watery diarrhea and histological alterations in the colonic mucosa. The incidence of this disease is increasing, being diagnosed more frequently.

Materials and methods:

In this retrospective study, patients were examined employing colonoscopy and biopsy due to a diagnosis of chronic diarrhea in a gastroenterology unit throughout 22 months. Their diagnosis of colitis was confirmed by clinical picture and microscopic analysis.

Results:

In the study period, a total of 2849 colonoscopies were performed, 116 in patients with chronic diarrhea. We identified 15 patients with microscopic colitis, 12 were men (80 %), and only three were older than 60 (20 %).

Conclusion:

Unlike the world literature, this study found that microscopic colitis in our patients affects the male sex primarily (male/female ratio: 4/1) and occurs in young people, with an average age of 47.5 years (range: 21-82 years).

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español | Inglés     · Español ( pdf ) | Inglés ( pdf )