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Clinical Practice

Microscopic colitis: a guide for general practice

Kevin Barrett
British Journal of General Practice 2021; 71 (702): 41-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp21X714593
Kevin Barrett
New Road Surgery, Rickmansworth.
Roles: GP partner and chair of the Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology
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INTRODUCTION

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects 10%–20% of the population1 but other conditions have similar symptoms. Microscopic colitis is a cause of chronic, non-bloody, watery diarrhoea, particularly in older patients in whom the impact on quality of life can be significant. Microscopic colitis affects 0.12% of the population but 12.80% of those with unexplained chronic, watery diarrhoea. The median age at diagnosis is 60,2 reflecting an older population than those typically diagnosed with other types of inflammatory bowel disease. Risk factors include smoking and long-term use of proton-pump inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, although a causal relationship has not been established.2

DIAGNOSIS IS DEPENDENT ON HISTOLOGICAL FINDINGS

The most common symptom in microscopic colitis is chronic, non-bloody, watery, diarrhoea, frequently associated with faecal urgency, the passage of stools at night, and faecal incontinence. Cramping abdominal pain may be present. These symptoms can be severe enough to make patients effectively housebound. Patients may …

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British Journal of General Practice: 71 (702)
British Journal of General Practice
Vol. 71, Issue 702
January 2021
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Microscopic colitis: a guide for general practice
Kevin Barrett
British Journal of General Practice 2021; 71 (702): 41-42. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp21X714593

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Microscopic colitis: a guide for general practice
Kevin Barrett
British Journal of General Practice 2021; 71 (702): 41-42. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp21X714593
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Print ISSN: 0960-1643
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