MICROSCOPIC COLITIS IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER IBDS
The Microscopic Colitis Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of those who have microscopic colitis. Many of the guidelines recommended for other IBDs do not work very well for MC, if they work at all. And unfortunately, much of the information about the disease that is available on the Internet is misleading and incorrect.
The goal of the Microscopic Colitis Foundation is to correct these shortcomings by providing accurate and up-to-date information about the disease, and to provide sincere, compassionate, and effective support for those who are seeking a way to get their life back. Our long-term goal is to promote research that will result in improved methods for the treatment of the disease. Our ultimate goal is to inspire the development of methods that will control microscopic colitis so effectively that all of us will be able to lead normal lives, as if the disease does not even exist.
AT LEAST A DOZEN DIFFERENT TYPES OF MICROSCOPIC COLITIS HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED TO DATE
The three most common forms of microscopic colitis are described below, and these are the ones that most gastroenterologists are familiar with, because they encounter these types the most frequently. While the diagnostic markers of the various forms of the disease are different, the symptoms and treatment of all forms of microscopic colitis are generally very similar. And while some medical professionals prefer to refer to the various types by their individual names, many simply refer to any of them as "microscopic colitis".
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Lymphocytic colitis (LC) can only be diagnosed by examining slides made from biopsy samples taken from the mucosal lining (the epithelium) of the colon, under a microscope. LC is diagnosed when there is an increase in the number of lymphocytes above a certain minimum count (more than 20 lymphocytes per high-power field). Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell. Otherwise the appearance of the lining of the colon is typically normal, and the collagen layers in the subepithelial layer known as the lamina propria are of normal thickness.
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Collagenous colitis (CC) is diagnosed when there is an increase in the thickness of the collagen bands in the lamina propria. The number of lymphocytes present may or may not be elevated with CC. A collagen band thickness greater than 10 micrometers is considered to be diagnostic of CC.
Some medical authorities believe that collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis may be different phases of the same condition rather than separate conditions. |
Mastocytic enterocolitis (ME) is diagnosed when there is an increased number of mast cells in intestinal biopsies. The increased number of mast cells is typically not associated with either of the conditions known as systemic or cutaneous mastocytosis. It is unclear whether the accumulation of mast cells is a response to, or cause of, the mucosal inflammation that causes the symptoms of the condition. Special stains (tryptase immunohistochemistry stains) facilitate identifying ME in biopsy samples. When a slide made from a biopsy sample is examined under a microscopic, a mast cell count greater than 20 mast cells per high-power field is considered to be diagnostic of ME.
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