Melanosis coli: endoscopic diagnosis. Case report

Abstract

The Melanosis coli consist in a blackish pigmentation of the large intestine mucosa, produced for the absorption of aromatic products due to the excessive usage of anthracene-derived laxatives. We present the first case of Melanosis coli diagnosed in the Gastroenterology Department of the Hospital “Faustino Perez”, of Matanzas in the last 30 years. It is the case of a patient with antecedents of chronic constipation, to whom the disease is diagnosed as a result of a colon videoendoscopic study, corroborated by histological study, concluding that this disease is an innocuous condition without clinical manifestations. It almost always appears in an accidental way, in patients to whom endoscopic studies of the low digestive tract are carried out, and having a history of laxatives abuse. To avoid it, an adequate hygiene-epidemiologic regime, rich-in-fibers food consumption, systemic physical training and the proscription of anthraquinone-derived laxatives are need. It is very importance for the gastroenterologists to be conscious of the existence of this entity, although its clinical importance is not elucidated yet.