Microscopic Colitis

Microscopic Colitis

MICROSCOPIC COLITIS

Important information regarding your health

Microscopic colitis (MC) is inflammation of the bowel that is only visible using a microscope. The term bowel refers to any part of the small or large intestine. Colitis means inflammation of the colon. The large intestine includes the colon and the rectum that together are about five feet long. The small intestine can be 12 to 20 feet long.

MC is less severe than other types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) because it does not lead to cancer and rarely requires surgery. However, MC can cause considerable pain and discomfort.

MC has two main forms - collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis. The symptoms of and treatment for both are identical. Although it is believed that the two forms may be different presentations of the same disease, they differ in the way intestinal tissue appears when seen with a microscope. In both forms, an increase in white blood cells can be seen within the intestinal epithelium - the layer of cells that lines the intestine. Increased white blood cells are a sign of inflammation. With collagenous colitis, a layer of tissue called collagen appears thicker than normal beneath the epithelium.

MC can affect anyone but is more common in people of age 60 or older.¹ Rates of MC are similar to other forms of IBD, affecting about 700,000 people in the U.S..² Although MC affects both men and women, collagenous colitis is much more common in women. There is a known association between microscopic colitis and celiac disease.