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Chronic non-ulcer colitis: causes
Alexey Portnov, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Causes of chronic colitis
- Past acute intestinal diseases - dysentery, salmonellosis, food poisoning, typhoid fever, yersiniosis, etc. Particular importance is attached to the transferred dysentery and yersiniosis, which can take a chronic course. Many gastroenterologists suggest the allocation of post-dysenteric colitis. According to AI Nogaller (1989), the diagnosis of postdisenteric colitis can be valid only within the first three years after acute acute dysentery. In the future, in the absence of bacterial transport, various other etiological and pathogenetic factors lie at the basis of the development of chronic colitis, in particular, dysbacteriosis, sensitization to augomicroflora, etc.
- Parasitic and helminthic infestations. Chronic colitis can be caused by the simplest (amoebas, lamblias, balantidia, trichomonads), helminths.
- Conditionally pathogenic and saprophytic flora causes the development of chronic colitis, usually with prolonged dysbacteriosis of the intestine.
- Alimentary factor - irregular eating, monotonous, mainly carbohydrate or protein diet, depleted of vitamins and vegetable fiber; frequent use of difficult to digest and spicy food, alcohol abuse. However, it is likely that the nutritional factor is more predisposing to the development of chronic colitis than to the one causing it.
- Intoxication exogenous (poisoning with salts of mercury, arsenic, phosphorus, etc.) and endogenous (renal and hepatic insufficiency). Under these conditions, the release of toxic substances by the mucosa of the large intestine, which contributes to the development of inflammatory-dystrophic changes in it.
- Radiation exposure - X-ray irradiation, radiation therapy, long-term work with ionizing cure in the absence of proper measures and anti-radiation protection. The most important are the so-called "radial" colitis, arising from radiation therapy of malignant neoplasms of the pelvic organs and the abdominal cavity.
- Acceptance of certain medicines. The development of chronic "medicamentous" colitis is possible with long-term treatment with laxative agents containing atraglikozids, antibiotics, salicylates and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, digitalis preparations, etc.
- Food and drug allergy. A common cause of chronic colitis due to the high prevalence of food and drug allergies. An allergic component is also present in the pathogenesis of many forms of chronic colitis.
- Congenital fermentopathy. The greatest value due to its prevalence is disaccharidase insufficiency (primarily lactase deficiency). Thus there is a constant irritation of a mucous membrane of a colon by products of incomplete hydrolysis of food.
- Ischemia of the wall of the large intestine with atherosclerosis of the mesenteric arteries, circulatory insufficiency. Ischemic colitis occurs mainly in the elderly.
- Diseases of other organs of the digestive system. Chronic colitis often develop in patients with chronic gastritis (especially atrophic), chronic pancreatitis with exocrine insufficiency, chronic cholecystitis, post-gastrectomy diseases, peptic ulcer and duodenal ulcer - the so-called "secondary" colitis. In the development of "secondary" colitis, the violation of the intestinal digestive function, the development of dysbacteriosis, are important.