What is the difference between the terms microscopic colitis, collagenous colitis, and lymphocytic colitis?
These are three terms used to describe essentially the same syndrome. Microscopic colitis is the most general term and the one I prefer. Collagenous colitis is used when collagen (a pink protein seen on a biopsy of the colon) is present, and some people use the term lymphocytic colitis when there is no excess collagen because there are lymphocytes seen in the tissue. However, lymphocytes are seen in collagenous colitis as well, making lymphocytic colitis an inaccurate term. There is no evidence that these different forms result from a different cause, I have recently found that the causative genes are the same, they are both associated with gluten sensitivity (see below), and they both respond equally to treatment. What is the cause of Microscopic Colitis? Extensive data from animals (mainly rodents) suggest that any form of colitis is the result of the body’s immune system setting up an unusual attack on the bacteria living in the colon. What makes the body suddenly recognize these ba
