[Treatment of microscopic colitis - what's new?] / Leczenie mikroskopowego zapalenia jelita grubego ­ co nowego?

Microscopic colitis (MC) is frequent, although still uncommonly diagnosed, cause of chronic diarrhea. The etiopathology of MC is unknown but this disease has strong influence on patient's quality of life (measured by health-related quality of life - HRQoL). MC is characterized by microscopic abnormalities in large bowel's mucosa whereas endoscopic and radiological examination findings are normal. The treatment of MC is an essential social and financial problem due to its frequency in society. Thanks to the results of some controlled research which judged efficiency of some medicines as well as advisory groups recommendations, the MC therapy is nowadays going from empiric to accordance with evidence based medicine.

[Hygienic hypothesis in immunopathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease]. / Koncepcja hipotezy higienicznej w immunopatogenezie nieswoistych chorób zapalnych jelit.

Over three last decades, it has been noticed that morbidity of immunology-dependent illnesses, like asthma, inflammatory bowel disease or atopic dermatitis, apparently increased. That is the reason to focus on searching and exploring new ideas which could explain etiopathology of those diseases. In etiopathology the role of environmental factors is particularly emphasized. Research indicated the inverse relationship between the frequency of infectious and/ or parasites and autoimmune diseases. It was a leading subject of many studies what allowed to create a hypothesis which explains the phenomenon. The most original and innovative idea, named hygenic hypothesis, was proposed in the late 80s of the last century. Avoiding or limiting the contact with common bacteria and parasites in well-and very well-developed countries probably caused depletion of immune memory which resulted in the hypersensitive response after exposure to general factors. Nowadays, autoimmunological diseases make really serious problem for medical care in the United States of America and Western European countries, ranking just behind cardiovascular diseases, cancer and metabolic sicknesses.