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Constipation, Chronic

Constipation in a young child as seen on X-ray. Lowest circle shows hard feces in the pelvis. Source, James Heilman, MD.

What Is Chronic Constipation?

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]hronic constipation is an intestinal motility disorder characterized by abnormal stool formation, consistency, and evacuation.

Motility disorder means the normal rhythmic movement of intestinal muscles, called peristalsis, that moves food matter through the gut is hampered or dysfunctional.

Studies show that methane gas present in the colon induces constipation by delaying transit time, which is the time it takes for stool to pass through the colon.

Researchers investigating the relationship between methane and constipation found that methane positivity was detected in 75% of patients with slow transit, 44% of patients with normal transit and and 28% of the patients who were controls. However, methane positivity was not related with stool consistency.1

Other researchers investigating the total amount of methane produced found that there was significantly more methane production in patients with constipation (21.1 ppm vs. 6.1 ppm, respectively) than in controls without constipation.2

Q. How does methane get into the colon?

A. Methane is produced in the colon by intestinal methanogens (microbes) that metabolize hydrogen, one of the end products of normal anaerobic (meaning without oxygen) bacterial fermentation.  Fermentation of the undigested starchy part of carbohydrates produces hydrogen in the intestine which is the substrate (food) for methane production by intestinal methanogens.

Hydrogen and methane are excreted in the flatus and in breath giving the opportunity to indirectly measure their production using breath testing. Methane is detected in 30%-50% of the healthy adult population worldwide.3

Other common causes of constipation include not getting enough exercise, not drinking enough fluids, not eating enough fiber in the diet, not eating foods that supply microbes needed by the colon (probiotics), not eating foods that nourish the good microbe population (prebiotics) and supply minerals needed for healthy movement of stool, and food sensitivities. Too much cows milk is a common cause of stool that forms into balls.

Who is Affected in the General Population? Chronic constipation is a remarkably common and costly condition that can negatively impact the quality of life and result in a major social and economic burden. Based on the definition, either self-reported or using Rome criteria, chronic constipation can affect up to 27% of the population. There is strong evidence that constipation occurs more frequently in women.4

What Is Chronic Constipation In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Triantafyllou K, Chang C, Pimentel M. Methanogens, Methane and Gastrointestinal Motility. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014 Jan;20(1):31-40. Epub 2013 Dec 30. [↩]
  2. Triantafyllou K, Chang C, Pimentel M. Methanogens, Methane and Gastrointestinal Motility. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014 Jan;20(1):31-40. Epub 2013 Dec 30. [↩]
  3. Triantafyllou K, Chang C, Pimentel M. Methanogens, Methane and Gastrointestinal Motility. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014 Jan;20(1):31-40. Epub 2013 Dec 30. [↩]
  4. Sanchez MI, Bercik P. Epidemiology and burden of chronic constipation. Can J Gastroenterol. 2011 Oct;25 Suppl B:11B-15B. [↩]

Crohn’s Disease

Endoscopic image of Crohn'sDisease showing deep ulceration in sigmoid colon.
Endoscopic Image of Crohn’s Disease Showing Deep Ulceration in the Sigmoid Colon.

What Is Crohn’s Disease?

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]rohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by patchy inflamed areas involving the full thickness of the intestinal wall that can occur anywhere in the intestinal tract, in addition to, mucosal disease.

In Crohn’s disease there is ongoing immune activation which produces inflammation and ulceration but the cause is not known and the severity varies among patients. At diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, factors predictive of subsequent 5-year aggressive disease are an age below 40 years, the presence of perianal disease, and the initial requirement for steroids.1

Dysbiosis is a factor that develops in and worsens Crohn’s disease and stress is a factor in both of these conditions. Psychological stress activates multiple physiological processes aimed at maintaining balance within the body. These physiological processes also have the capacity to influence the composition of microbial communities in the digestive tract, and research now indicates that exposure to stressful stimuli leads to gut microbiota dysbiosis.2

While the relative abundance of many different bacterial types can be altered during stressor exposure, findings in nonhuman primates and laboratory rodents, as well as humans, indicate that bacteria in the genus Lactobacillus are consistently reduced in the gut during stress.2

Q: Is there a cure for Crohn’s disease?

A: Presently, Crohn’s disease cannot be cured. This condition has a course of remissions, when symptoms subside, and flares, when symtpoms get worse. Treatment is aimed to reduce flares and promote remission.

What Is Crohn’s Disease In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Beaugerie L, Seksik P, Nion-Larmurier I, Gendre JP, Cosnes J. Predictors of Crohn’s disease. Gastroenterology. 2006;130:650–656. [↩]
  2. Galley JD, Bailey MT. Impact of stressor exposure on the interplay between commensal microbiota and host inflammation. Gut Microbes. 2014 May 1;5(3):390-396. Epub 2014 Apr 1. [↩] [↩]

Colitis, Collagenous

Collagenous Colitis.
Microscopic Image Showing a Pink Collagen Band in Collagenous Colitis.

What Is Collagenous Colitis?

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ollagenous colitis is a disease of the large intestine (colon) that is characterized by microscopic inflammation of the surface mucosal lining and an abnormally thickened collagen band of tissue that develops wthin the lining of the colon.

The thicker than normal layer of collagen of at least 10 µm (reference value: 2–7 µm) can vary in different locations. Inflammation occurs with increased numbers of lymphocytes (white blood cells) and plasma cells and epithelial (surface cell) damage. These changes can only be seen under microscopic examination of multiple biopsied tissue samples taken during a colonoscopy procedure.

Q: What is collagen?

A: Collagen is a strong, fibrous protein found in connective tissue of the colon and many other tissues such as tendons. The normal basement membrane in the bowel consists mainly of collagen type IV, laminin, and fibronectin. The increased collagen band observed in collagenous colitis consists basically of collagen type I and III, which are the subtypes produced by repair functions, indicating a reactive origin to some irritant or drug.1

The biopsies should preferably be taken from the ascending colon, since the pathological hallmarks may be absent in the descending colon, and in the normally occurring thicker collagen layer in the rectosigmoid region.1 Inflammation of the ileum (last segment of the small intestine next to colon) is common.2

Endoscopy and radiological (x-ray) examinations are usually normal.3

Autoimmune disorders are frequently seen in adult patients with collagenous colitis.4 In the study below by Koskela et al. concomittent autoimmune diseases were present in 53% of patients with collagenous colitis.5

Importantly, the finding of collagenous colitis in patients with autoimmune diseases may reflect the treatment with NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as Ibuprofin and aspirin, PPIs (proton pump inhibitors), and other drugs. However, if secondary forms of collagenous colitis are not taken into consideration, underlying, treatable diseases may be overlooked, while only the gastrointestinal symptoms are treated symptomatically or with budesonide (a steroid).6

Treatment with budesonide steroid is efficacious irrespective of bile acid malabsorption.7

Budesonide at a mean dose of 4.5 mg/day maintained clinical remission for at least 1 year in the majority of patients with collagenous colitis and preserved health-related quality of life without safety concerns. Treatment extension with low-dose budesonide beyond 1 year may be beneficial given the high relapse rate after budesonide discontinuation.8

See below for nutritional deficiency problems caused by steroid usage and steps to be taken for correction.

What Is Collagenous Colitis In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Ohlsson B. New insights and challenges in microscopic colitis. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2015 Jan;8(1):37-47. doi: 10.1177/1756283X14550134. [↩] [↩]
  2. Bjørnbak C, Engel PJ, Nielsen PL, Munck LK. Microscopic colitis: clinical findings, topography and persistence of histopathological subgroups. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Nov;34(10):1225-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2011.04865.x. [↩]
  3. Abdo AA, Urbanski SJ, Beck PL. Lymphotcytic and collagenous colitis: the emerging entity of microscopic colitis. An update on pathophysiology, diagnosis and management. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology. Jul 2003;17(7):425-32. [↩]
  4. Leung ST, Chandan VS, Murray JA, Wu TT. Collagenous gastritis: histopathologic features and association with other gastrointestinal diseases. Am J Surg Pathol. 2009 May;33(5):788-98. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0b013e318196a67f. [↩]
  5. Koskela RM, Niemela SE, Karttunen TJ, Lehtola JK. Clinical characteristics of collagenous and lymphocytic colitis. Scandanavian Journal of Gastroenterology. Sep 2004;39(9):837-45. [↩]
  6. Ohlsson B. New insights and challenges in microscopic colitis. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2015 Jan;8(1):37-47. doi: 10.1177/1756283X14550134. [↩]
  7. Bjørnbak C, Engel PJ, Nielsen PL, Munck LK. Microscopic colitis: clinical findings, topography and persistence of histopathological subgroups. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Nov;34(10):1225-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2011.04865.x. [↩]
  8. Münch A, Bohr J, Miehlke S, et al. Low-dose budesonide for maintenance of clinical remission in collagenous colitis: a randomised, placebo-controlled, 12-month trial. Gut. 2014 Nov 25. pii: gutjnl-2014-308363. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2014-308363. [↩]

Colitis, Lymphocytic

Microscopic Slide of Lymphocytic Colitis. Courtesy Quizlet.com
Microscopic  Slide of Biopsy Sample Showing Lymphocytic Colitis. Courtesy Quizlet.com

What Is Lymphocytic Colitis?

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ymphocytic colitis is a microscopic inflammation of the large intestinal mucosa with infiltration of lymphocytes (IELs)  that is characterized by non-bloody secretory diarrhea.

Secretory diarrhea describes bowel movements that consist of a large volume of liquid stool.

Q: What are IELs?

A: IELs is an abbreviation for intraepithelial lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that infiltrate within epithelial cells or between them. Epithelial cells form the surface mucosa of the large intestine also called the colon.

The histopathological criteria (biopsy) for lymphocytic colitis are a density of at least 20 IELs per 100 surface epithelial cells; chronic inflammatory infiltrate of mononuclear cells in the lamina propria; epithelial damage; and a subepithelial collagen layer of less than 10 µm. The increased collagen band consists basically of collagen type I and III, which are the subtypes produced by repair functions, indicating a reactive origin.1That is, the mucosa is reacting to some irritative substance.

Up to 10% of adults undergoing colonoscopy for investigation of chronic diarrhea and having visibily normal appearing mucosa may have lymphocytic colitis.2

Bile acid malabsorption has been shown to coexist in 60% of patients with lymphocytic colitis.1

Lymphocytic colitis (LC) is categorized as primary or secondary.  Primary LC is a clinical and histopathological disease of unknown cause. Secondary LC may develop as the result of iritating factors acting on the colon such as smoking or many medications.  In one study, the most common drug treatments as a percentage of the study group were corticosteroids (32.1%), proton pump inhibitors (26.0%), antidepressant drugs, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (21.4%), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor antagonists (18.3%), statins (17.6%), thyroid hormones (17.6%), and beta-blockers (16.0%).3

Secondary lymphocytic colitis is associated with several concomitant diseases including celiac disease. This is why lymphocytic changes must be interpreted with caution before considering them as a separate entity of autoimmune origin, instead of secondary reactions to ischemia and toxic stimulants. Efforts must be made to better classify and diagnose patients with real, primary lymphocytic colitis to avoid over-prescription of corticosteroids for treatment.3

What Is Lymphocytic Colitis In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Ohlsson B. New insights and challenges in microscopic colitis. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2015 Jan;8(1):37-47. doi: 10.1177/1756283X14550134. [↩] [↩]
  2. Abdo AA, Urbanski SJ, Beck PL. Lymphotcytic and collagenous colitis: the emerging entity of microscopic colitis. An update on pathophysiology, diagnosis and management. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology. Jul 2003;17(7):425-32. [↩]
  3. Roth B, Manjer J, Ohlsson B. Drug Target Insights. 2013 Aug 11;7:19-25. doi: 10.4137/DTI.S12109. [↩] [↩]

Colitis, Ulcerative

This photo was from a total colectomy done for clinically severe, intractable chronic ulcerative colitis. It shows a closer view of a longitudinal section through the colon wall. This demonstrates not only the angry red mucosa but also the tendency for the inflamed tissue to throw itself up into inflammatory pseudopolyps. Source: Ed Uthman, MD. Public domain.
This photo is from a total colectomy done for severe, intractable chronic ulcerative colitis. It shows a close view of a lengthwise section through the colon wall. This demonstrates not only the angry red mucosa, but also, the tendency for the inflamed tissue to throw itself up into inflammatory pseudopolyps.
Source: Ed Uthman, MD. Public domain.

What Is Ulcerative Colitis?

[dropcap]U[/dropcap]lcerative colitis is an inflammatory disorder of the colon characterized by continuous inflammation of the mucosa and submucosa usually with small ulcers, extending from the rectum and typically involving the distal colon, rectum, and anus and producing bloody diarrhea.

While the severity of ulcerative colitis varies among patients, iron deficiency anemia often develops due to blood loss especially when there are many bloody bowel movements in a day.

The onset of ulcerative colitis is most commonly in young adulhood.

Q: Is this disease painful?

A: Yes with the passage of stool.

Psychological stress and subsequent dysbiosis exacerbate ulcerative colitis.

Psychological stress activates multiple physiological processes aimed at maintaining balance within the body. These physiological processes also have the capacity to influence the composition of microbial communities in the digestive tract, and research now indicates that exposure to stressful stimuli leads to gut microbiota dysbiosis.1

While the relative abundance of many different bacterial types can be altered during stressor exposure, findings in nonhuman primates and laboratory rodents, as well as humans, indicate that bacteria in the genus Lactobacillus are consistently reduced in the gut during stress.2

Presently, ulcerative colitis cannot be cured. This condition has a course of remissions, when symptoms subside, and flares, when symtpoms get worse. Treatment is aimed to reduce flares and promote remission. In all cases, correction of dysbiosis improves the condition.

Ulcerative colitis is associated with increased incidence of cancer of the colon.3

What Is Ulcerative Colitis In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Galley JD, Bailey MT. Impact of stressor exposure on the interplay between commensal microbiota and host inflammation. Gut Microbes. 2014 May 1;5(3):390-396. Epub 2014 Apr 1. [↩]
  2. Galley JD, Bailey MT. Impact of stressor exposure on the interplay between commensal microbiota and host inflammation. Gut Microbes. 2014 May 1;5(3):390-396. Epub 2014 Apr 1. [↩]
  3. Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. F. A. Davis. Philadelphia, PA [↩]

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome? [dropcap]I[/dropcap]rritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a motility disorder without anatomic cause involving the entire gastrointestinal tract that is characterized by these four features: 1) Abdominal pain usually relieved by defecation… 

Gas

intest (2)What Is Obnoxious Gas?

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]bnoxious gas, or flatus, is gas that is not only offensive when passed but also lingers in the air longer than ordinary gas does.

Gas is a natural digestive product within the colon that is composed mainly of hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases. These gases are given off in the necessary bacterial breakdown of undigested fermentable food entering the colon from the small intestine.

Q: What makes gas obnoxious?

A: The production of obnoxious gas depends on the type and quantity of undigested food residue that is passed into the colon from the small intestine, dysfunctional motility instead of normal peristalsis, and dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is the condition of  having unhealthy or insufficient populations of microbes responsible for digesting (fermenting) foodstuffs in the lower gut or colon. 

Gases produced by intestinal microbes may modulate intestinal motor function (muscle movement) in individuals with functional bowel disease. Methane, produced by enteric bacteria in the human gut, is associated with slowed intestinal transit and constipation.1

What Is Obnoxious Gas In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Jahng J, Jung IS, Choi EJ, Conklin JL, Park H. The effects of methane and hydrogen gases produced by enteric bacteria on ileal motility and colonic transit time. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2012 Feb;24(2):185-90, e92. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2982.2011.01819.x. Epub 2011 Nov 20.

    Methane is produced in the colon by intestinal methanogens (microbes) that metabolize hydrogen, one of the end products of normal anaerobic (meaning without oxygen) bacterial fermentation.  Fermentation of the undigested starchy part of carbohydrates produces hydrogen in the intestine, which is the food for methane production by intestinal methanogens.

    Hydrogen and methane are excreted in the flatus and in breath giving the opportunity to indirectly measure their production using breath testing. ((Triantafyllou K, Chang C, Pimentel M. Methanogens, Methane and Gastrointestinal Motility. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014 Jan;20(1):31-40. Epub 2013 Dec 30. [↩]

Bleeding, Occult Gastrointestinal

Erosions Of The Esophagus Can Be A Cause Of Gastrointestinal Bleeding.
Erosions Resulting From Esophagitis Can Be A Cause Of Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

What Is Occult Gastrointestinal Bleeding?

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ccult gastrointestinal bleeding is characterized by unseen or minute quantities of blood in stool. The origin of bleeding is from mucosa that lines the inside of the digestive tract at a site that must be found by medical testing and procedures to look at the lining.

Q: What tests and procedures are performed to locate the bleeding?

A: The simplest test to discover blood that cannot be seen is the stool test. This consists of a card with 3 spaces for 3 separate  stool collection over 3 separate days. A tiny smear of stool is placed on a test card space on each of three days. Then the card is examined for a reaction that indicates the existence of blood in the stool.

If the stool test is positive, the origin of bleeding must be located. This search requires certain procedures that look at the mucosal lining directly by a gastroenterologist, usually under light sedation.

  • Gastroscopy procedure can visualize the upper gastrointestinal tract, which includes the esophagus and stomach.
  • Endoscopy procedure can also visualize the upper small intestine. However, endoscopy procedure is limited in that it cannot visualize the middle small intestine (jejunum).
  • Colonoscopy can visualize the end of the small intestine and colon all the way to the rectum.
  • Capsule endoscopy procedure.  If  gastroendoscopy and colonoscopy fail to discover the source of bleeding, the physician may administer a capsule endoscopy which visualizes the entire gastrointestinal tract. In this procedure, the patient swallows a capsule size camera (encased) which takes constant pictures over the course of a day until expelled through the rectum.  Of course, the patient must be able to swallow the large size capsule.

What Is Occult Gastrointestinal Bleeding In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Constipation Alternating with Diarrhea

Bristol Stool Chart Showing Normal and Abnormal Stool.
Bristol Stool Chart Showing Normal and Abnormal Stool.

What Is Chronic Constipation Alternating With Diarrhea?

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]hronic constipation alternating with diarrhea is an intestinal motility disorder, or irregularity, characterized by alteration in stool formation, consistency, and evacuation which results in a bowel movement that consists of some hard or balled stool along with some loose stool that can cause leakage.

Q: How do irregular movement patterns develop in the colon?

A: The colon produces irregular movements as a result of problems that originate in  the colon (large intestine) itself and/or the small intestine which then affects function of the colon.

Here are listed the many types of problems or diseases that cause these abnormal bowel movements:

  • Disorders that adversely affect the colon, an organ which must propel stool, remove excess water, absorb electrolytes, ferment undigested food material that passes into it, and produce nutrients from the fermentation process:
  • Poor diet that does not contain adequate nutrition, fiber, probiotics, prebiotics, and water to form normal stool.
  • Diet that contains irritating, toxic or allergenic food that cause spasms.
  • Diseases that inflame the mucosa lining such as collagenous colitis, altering the proper absorption of water and electrolytes.
  • Diseases that damage and swell the colon walls, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis.
  • Diseases that obstruct the lumen or passageway so that stool passes with difficulty.
  • Diseases that hamper normal peristalsis (muscle action), such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes and thyroid disease.
  • Disorders that adversely affect the small intestine, an organ which must digest and absorb nutrients needed by the body while passing unabsorbed food material to the colon:  
  • Diet that conatins too much fat, sugar or artifical sweeteners, causing diarrhea.
  • Disorders that result in malabsorption, such as gluten enteropathy, milk enteropathy, steatorrhea (fat malabsorption), lactose intolerance, sucrose intolerance, maltose intolerance, and bacterial overgrowth, passing abnormal amounts of undigested food material to the colon where it is fermented producing excessive gas, diarrhea and spasm.
  • Disorders that impair peristalsis, such as active celiac disease, diabetes, scleroderma, and thyroid disease.
  • Tumors like cancer and lymphoma impair regular passage of material to colon.
  • Drugs that impair peristalsis, such as iron supplements, aluminum containing antacids, narcotics, some anti-depressants, some anti-seizure, and some diuretics.

What Is Chronic Constipation Alternating With Diarrhea In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?