Microscopic Colitis

1.Epidemiology10
1.1.Longitudinal analyses11
2.Pathology16
2.1.Definition of microscopic colitis16
2.2.Collagenous colitis16
2.3.Lymphocytic colitis19
2.4.Microscopic colitis: "tip of the iceberg"21
2.5."New entities" of microscopic colitis?21
3.Aetiology and pathogenesis26
3.1.Infectious and immunological factors26
3.2.Bile acid malabsorption26
3.3.Association with intake of drugs and other factors27
3.4.Genetic predisposition27
3.5.Collagen metabolism27
3.6.Pathogenetic mechanism of the diarrhoea28
4.Clinical presentation32
4.1.Symptoms32
4.2.Associated diseases32
4.3.Course33
5.Clinical investigation and differential diagnosis 36
5.1.Diagnostic approach36
5.2.Differentiation from chronic inflammatory bowel diseases36
5.3.Differential diagnosis37
6.Pharmacological basis of glucocorticoids40
6.1.Mechanisms of action40
6.2.Pharmacodynamics40
6.3.Budesonide41
7.Therapy46
7.1.Evidence-based therapy with budesonide46
7.1.1.Collagenous colitis46
7.1.2.Lymphocytic colitis47
7.2.Empirical treatment approaches48
Index54