Microscopic colitis syndrome--a review article.

Diarrhea is a common symptom worldwide and especially so in developing countries. Whereas better diagnostic modalities in the developed world have helped to elucidate the causes of diarrhea, the situation in developing countries is not the same. Rather, most diarrhea cases are assumed to be of infective origin, and many people self-medicate. However, such a prevailing situation is unlikely to be correct, and it denies appropriate treatment to patients with other noninfective causes of diarrhea. This review is on microscopic colitis syndrome, a recently described cause of chronic diarrhea in which there is a dearth of publication from the developing countries.