Citing inconsistent findings in previous studies, researchers further investigated if medication use was linked to an increased risk for microscopic colitis. Based on their results, the study’s authors concluded that aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs—but not other drugs suggested in prior research—were associated with development of microscopic colitis.
The study, published in BMC Gastroenterology, surveyed medication usage in a prospective cohort of 144 patients, 80 of which had microscopic colitis. Of the patients with microscopic colitis, 21 were newly diagnosed and 59 entered into a microscopic colitis registry within 3 months of diagnosis.
According to the authors, aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications were used more frequently in patients who developed microscopic colitis compared with those who did not (P<.01). These drugs remained independent predictors of microscopic colitis after adjusting for age and gender. Proton pump inhibitors and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were not associated with microscopic colitis development. Ultimately, the study’s authors implicated aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the development of microscopic colitis, though they did add that the mechanism was unclear.
Reference: Yen EF, Amusin DB, Yoo J, et al. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug exposure and the risk of microscopic colitis. BMC Gastroenterol. 2022;22(1):367. doi:10.1186/s12876-022-02438-z
Link: https://bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12876-022-02438-z
