COLLAGENOUS COLITIS AND YERSINIA-ENTEROCOLITICA INFECTION

Collagenous colitis is a rare clinical and pathological entity charact erized by watery diarrhea and deposition of collagen beneath the surfa ce epithelium of the colon. Its etiology is unknown. We present a care ful retrospective clinicopathological analysis of six patients with co llagenous colitis diagnosed at our hospital during a three-year period . Three of the patients had had a Yersinia enterocolitica infection, d etected by stool culture and elevated serum antibody titers, preceding the diagnosis of collagenous colitis, Four patients had duodenal vill ous atrophy, which in two patients was refractory to a gluten-free die t. We propose that Yersinia enterocolitica infection may be a triggeri ng factor for the development of collagenous colitis in some cases. Du odenal villous atrophy not responding to gluten withdrawal is common i n association with collagenous colitis.