Fibrosing colonopathy

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Fibrosing colonopathy
Other names Abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, vomiting, constipation [1]
CausesHigh doses of pancreatic enzyme supplements [1]
Risk factors Young age, prior surgery of the intestines, certain medications including corticosteroids and H2 blockers [2]
Frequency>60 cases reported [2]

Fibrosing colonopathy is a disease that arises in people with cystic fibrosis treated with high doses of pancreatic enzyme supplements. [1] [2] Symptoms are non-specific with abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, vomiting, and constipation. [1]

Contents

Risk factors include being young, prior surgery of the intestines, and the use of certain medications including corticosteroids and H2 blockers. [2] It may appear similar to distal intestinal obstruction syndrome or inflammatory colitis such as Crohn's disease. [1]

A maximum dose of 10,000 IU of lipase per kilogram per day is recommended for pancreatic enzyme supplementation to prevent this condition. [3] More than 60 cases have been described as of 1999. [2] The disease was suggested to be caused by methacrylic acid copolymer which is used as coating for delayed release of enzymes but there is no reliable evidence for that. [4]

Signs and symptoms

Clinical symptoms of fibrosing colonopathy can be similar to those of intestinal obstruction and include constipation or diarrhea, abdominal pain, hematochezia, [5] vomiting, nausea, and poor weight gain. [6]

Causes

The precise etiopathogenesis is still unknown. Young age (2–13 years), gastrointestinal history (DIOS, meconium ileus), abdominal surgery in the past, HDPE, and use of histamine H2-receptor blockers, corticosteroids, or recombinant human deoxyribonuclease (DNase) are risk factors. [7] Fibrosing colonopathy and cystic fibrosis have a strong correlation. [6]

Diagnosis

The afflicted colon's histologic findings include thickening of the muscularis propria, submucosal fibrosis, a cobblestone-like appearance, and persistent mucosal inflammation. [8] With relative rectal sparing, imaging can demonstrate diffuse narrowing, shortening, and loss of haustration of the colonic lumen. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably Staphylococcus aureus. CF is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. The hallmark feature of CF is the accumulation of thick mucus in different organs. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. Other signs and symptoms may include sinus infections, poor growth, fatty stool, clubbing of the fingers and toes, and infertility in most males. Different people may have different degrees of symptoms.

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Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the other type being Crohn's disease. It is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, and anemia may also occur. Often, symptoms come on slowly and can range from mild to severe. Symptoms typically occur intermittently with periods of no symptoms between flares. Complications may include abnormal dilation of the colon (megacolon), inflammation of the eye, joints, or liver, and colon cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pancreatitis</span> Inflammation of the pancreas

Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic pancreatitis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small intestine</span> Organ in the gastrointestinal tract

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chronic pancreatitis</span> Medical condition

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pancreatic enzymes (medication)</span> Amylase, lipase, and protease mixture

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdominal distension</span> Physical symptom

Abdominal distension occurs when substances, such as air (gas) or fluid, accumulate in the abdomen causing its expansion. It is typically a symptom of an underlying disease or dysfunction in the body, rather than an illness in its own right. People with this condition often describe it as "feeling bloated". Affected people often experience a sensation of fullness, abdominal pressure, and sometimes nausea, pain, or cramping. In the most extreme cases, upward pressure on the diaphragm and lungs can also cause shortness of breath. Through a variety of causes, bloating is most commonly due to buildup of gas in the stomach, small intestine, or colon. The pressure sensation is often relieved, or at least lessened, by belching or flatulence. Medications that settle gas in the stomach and intestines are also commonly used to treat the discomfort and lessen the abdominal distension.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collagenous colitis</span> Medical condition

Collagenous colitis is an inflammatory condition of the colon. Together with the related condition lymphocytic colitis, it is a subtype of microscopic colitis, which is characterized by inflammation that specifically affects the colon, and a clinical presentation that involves watery diarrhea but a lack of rectal bleeding. Microscopic colitis does not usually cause macroscopic changes to the colon that allow a visual diagnosis during colonoscopy, instead causing microscopic changes that can be detected through histopathological examination of colonic biopsies. The nature of these microscopic changes is what differentiates collagenous from lymphocytic colitis, with the characteristic finding in collagenous colitis being depositions of collagen in the connective tissue between the colonic glands. Collagenous colitis, and microscopic colitis as a whole, is sometimes considered to be an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) along with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. However, little is known about the etiology of microscopic colitis, and so the degree of similarity to the inflammatory bowel diseases is uncertain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency</span> Inability to properly digest food due to a lack of digestive enzymes from the pancreas

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is the inability to properly digest food due to a lack or reduction of digestive enzymes made by the pancreas. EPI can occur in humans and is prevalent in many conditions such as cystic fibrosis, Shwachman–Diamond syndrome, different types of pancreatitis, multiple types of diabetes mellitus, advanced renal disease, older adults, celiac disease, diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), HIV, alcohol-related liver disease, Sjogren syndrome, tobacco use, and use of somatostatin analogues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis</span> Medical condition

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distal intestinal obstruction syndrome</span> Medical condition

Distal intestinal obstruction syndrome (DIOS) involves obstruction of the distal part of the small intestines by thickened intestinal content and occurs in about 20% of mainly adult individuals with cystic fibrosis. DIOS was previously known as meconium ileus equivalent, a name which highlights its similarity to the intestinal obstruction seen in newborn infants with cystic fibrosis. DIOS tends to occur in older individuals with pancreatic insufficiency. Individuals with DIOS may be predisposed to bowel obstruction, though it is a separate entity than true constipation.

Pancreatic diseases are diseases that affect the pancreas, an organ in most vertebrates and in humans and other mammals located in the abdomen. The pancreas plays a role in the digestive and endocrine system, producing enzymes which aid the digestion process and the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels. The most common pancreatic disease is pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas which could come in acute or chronic form. Other pancreatic diseases include diabetes mellitus, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, cystic fibrosis, pseudocysts, cysts, congenital malformations, tumors including pancreatic cancer, and hemosuccus pancreaticus.

Management of ulcerative colitis involves first treating the acute symptoms of the disease, then maintaining remission. Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the intestine, specifically the large intestine or colon, that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores, in the colon. The main symptom of active disease is usually diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset which often leads to anaemia. Ulcerative colitis is, however, a systemic disease that affects many parts of the body outside the intestine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shwachman–Diamond syndrome</span> Medical condition

Shwachman–Diamond syndrome (SDS), or Shwachman–Bodian–Diamond syndrome, is a rare congenital disorder characterized by exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, bone marrow dysfunction, skeletal and cardiac abnormalities and short stature. After cystic fibrosis (CF), it is the second most common cause of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in children. It is associated with the SBDS gene and has autosomal recessive inheritance.

The European Registry of Hereditary Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Cancer (EUROPAC) was started by John Neoptolemos and colleagues in 1997 and has become the world’s most extensive study on hereditary pancreatic diseases. It enabled discovery of several genetic characteristics causative for hereditary pancreatitis and familial pancreatic cancer.

References

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Further reading