Abstract
Melanosis Coli is described as black or brown discoloration of the mucosa of the colon. It is a benign condition, whicharises from anthraquinone laxative abuse and usually has no symptoms of its own. Though not a very rare condition,to the best of our knowledge, no case has been reported on melanosis coli in Bangladesh . Here we report a case ofmiddle aged lady presenting with passage of blood mixed stool for one year. Colonoscopy was performed whichrevealed melanosis coli and which was later confirmed by histopathology. Not thought to be a pre malignantcondition, it has been found in some patients with other diseases.Keywords: Melanosis coli; Anthraquinone; Lipofuscin; Laxative; BangladeshDOI: 10.3329/jom.v11i2.5469J MEDICINE 2010; 11 : 183-185
Highlights
The term melanosis coli was initially proposed by Virchow.1 “Melanosis” is a Greek word denoting any condition characterized by abnormal dark coloration of skin or mucosa
Virchow gave the name melanosis coli to the condition, the first sigmoidoscopic appearance being described by Pick in 1911. 1-3, 6
These cells are phagocytosed by macrophages in lamina propria producing lipofuscin, which gives a dark colour to the colonic mucosa
Summary
The term melanosis coli was initially proposed by Virchow.1 “Melanosis” is a Greek word denoting any condition characterized by abnormal dark coloration of skin or mucosa. While investigating patients with lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding, melanosis coli has been found as an incidental finding.[4] A small study suggested the possibility of association of chronic colitis with melanosis coli.[5] Our lady presented with passage of blood mixed stool and even after thorough investigation no other definite pathology was detected.
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