| Collagenous Colitis
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Etiology
Unknown
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Pathogenesis
Unknown. However, three unproven postulates have been suggested: an autoimmune process; a primary inflammatory process to a yet unknown pathogen; and an acquired defect in collagen metabolism.,
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Epidemiology
There is a predominance of middle aged females(mean 54 yrs.)
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General Gross Description
The colon mucosa is usually normal but may show some evidence of edema and erythema
Examples:
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General Microscopic Description
The pathognomonic lesion is is thickening of the subepithelial collagen layer (SCL)
The SCL has a mean thickening of 15.0 um vs. a normal SCL of 2.5 um
The SCL in collagenous colitis is least thickened in the rectum
The surface epithelium usually show a variable patchy lymphocytic infiltrate with variable degenerative changes which include loss of mucin, flattening, karyorrhexis and lifting of the surface epithelium
The crypts may contain intrapithelial lymphocytes but show no degenerative changes
The lamina propria has increased lymphocytes and mononuclear cells but these are too non-specific to be useful as a diagnostic criteria Examples:
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References
Chronic Colitis with Thickening of the Subepithelial Collagen Layer, Jessurun, J. et al, Human Pathology:18 839-848, 1987
Sleisenger MH, Fordtran JS. Gastrointestinal disease. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1993, pp. 1563-1565
For Most Current Information Search Medline at National Library of Medicine This link will directly take you to the relevant new literature
| Collagenous Colitis
| | Synopsis by: Martin Nadel, M.D. (T67000M55700)[342]
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