Collagenous colitis is an inflammatory condition of the large intestine that results in chronic diarrhea and abdominal discomfort. Certain foods and medications might worsen your colitis symptoms, but are not thought to actually cause the disorder. The usual treatment for collagenous colitis consists of lifestyle changes and various medications.
Microscopic and Collagenous Colitis
Microscopic colitis is the common term for two closely related disorders named collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis. Both present with symptoms of watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fever and weight loss. Collagenous colitis occurs more frequently in women than men, and typically appears in older adults between 60 and 80 years of age. The diagnosis usually requires visually examining the inner lining of your colon via colonoscopy, during which small tissue biopsies are taken to look for characteristic changes under a microscope. A diagnosis of microscopic colitis does not increase your chances of getting colon cancer.
Possible Causes of Collagenous Colitis
No definite cause of collagenous colitis has been identified, although bacterial infections, viruses that provoke an inflammatory reaction and autoimmune disorders are all considered possibilities. Several medications appear to increase your risk of developing collagenous colitis, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen, ranitidine, sertraline and simvastatin. Food and drinks containing caffeine, alcohol or lactose can increase some people's symptoms, but don't appear to actually cause the onset of colitis. Another possibility is that some combination of the above factors working together acts to trigger the inflammation seen in microscopic colitis.
Home Treatment and Nutrition
The first step in treating collagenous colitis usually involves lifestyle and dietary changes, which in many cases may be the only treatment needed. Your health care practitioner will advise you to avoid, if possible, any medications you might be taking that have been linked to collagenous colitis, including aspirin and ibuprofen. Key dietary recommendations include eating a nutritious balanced diet to keep up your strength and weight, and drinking plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration and electrolyte loss from diarrhea. Colitis symptoms will often improve by limiting your intake of caffeine, alcohol, wheat products, artificial sweeteners and dairy products with lactose. Avoiding spicy, fried or fatty foods, eating frequent smaller meals rather than a few larger meals, and sticking to easily digestible foods until your symptoms improve might also help.
Medical Treatment
If your symptoms are more severe, or fail to improve with lifestyle changes, your health care practitioner can prescribe different medications for the treatment of collagenous colitis. Anti-diarrheal drugs, drugs that absorb bile acids and some antibiotics can be effective. Steroids such as prednisone and budesonide, other anti-inflammatory medications and immune suppressant drugs also help control symptoms in many cases. The goal of any treatment for collagenous colitis is relief of your symptoms, which in many cases will resolve over time with or without medication.
