COLONIC SUBEPITHELIAL COLLAGENOUS THICKENING IN DIABETIC-PATIENTS

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the effect of intestin al subepithelial collagenous thickening on diabetic diarrhea because o ne of the seven patients diagnosed with collagenous colitis was diabet ic. METHODS: Rectosigmoidoscopic rectal biopsies were taken from 50 di abetic patients (8 with and 42 without diarrhea), 20 nondiabetic patie nts with diarrhea, and 10 healthy patients. Histopathologic examinatio ns and measurements of subepithelial collagen layers were performed on these biopsies. RESULTS: In diabetic patients who had diarrhea, the s ubepithelial collagen layer (SCL) was thicker than it was in diabetics without diarrhea (P < 0.05). In diabetic groups, the SCL was thicker than it was in both nondiabetics with diarrhea and those without diarr hea (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference between nondiabeti cs with diarrhea and those without (P > 0.05). There was no correlatio n between collagen thickness, age, and diabetes duration (P > 0.05). C ONCLUSION: It was concluded that there was a thickening of the colonic SCL in diabetic patients.