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Familial occurrence of lymphocytic colitis
1Department of Medicine (Gastroenterology) University of British Columbia Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.
Insights
Familial lymphocytic colitis occurred in a mother and her two daughters. The children were diagnosed younger and had more severe disease, suggesting genetic anticipation or a shared environmental factor.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Genetics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Lymphocytic colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease.
- Familial clustering of inflammatory bowel diseases is recognized.
Observation:
- A case of familial lymphocytic colitis in a female parent and her two female children is described.
- No other genetic disorders, including celiac disease, were identified.
- The children were diagnosed over 20 years earlier than the parent and exhibited greater disease severity.
Findings:
- The pattern of earlier age of onset and increased severity in successive generations suggests genetic anticipation.
- Alternatively, a shared environmental exposure within the family cohort may contribute to disease development.
- This familial occurrence provides insights into the potential genetic and environmental factors in lymphocytic colitis.
Implications:
- Understanding familial patterns can aid in early diagnosis and management of lymphocytic colitis.
- Further research into genetic anticipation and environmental triggers is warranted for inflammatory bowel diseases.
- This case highlights the importance of considering family history in the evaluation of lymphocytic colitis.
Abstract:
The familial occurrence of lymphocytic colitis in a female parent and her two female children is reported. No other genetically based disorder, including celiac disease, was evident. For both children, the age of diagnosis was more than two decades younger than the age of recognition of disease in the parent, and some clinical features, including the requirement for pharmacological agents in both children, suggested that their disease severity was more significant than that of the involved parent. These characteristics of a familial disease have been previously reported and labelled 'genetic anticipation' in some monogenetic forms of neurological disease, as well as in other types of inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease. Alternatively, a common cohort effect related to a pathological environmental factor may have played a role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.