ABSTRACT
Ischaemic colitis is a major cause of large intestinal problems requiring medical attention and it is our impression that its frequency is increasing in hospital biopsy practice. The overall incidence of ischaemic colitis in general populations is small, ranging from 4.5 to 44 cases per 100 000 personyears (Higgins et al., 2004). However, it is the second or third commonest cause of acute lower gastrointestinal haemorrhage (Longstreth, 1997; Vernava et al., 1997), and results from approximately half of all cases of mesenteric vasculopathy (Cappell, 1998). In the elderly, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are probably overdiagnosed at the expense of ischaemic colitis. Brandt et al. (1981) felt this to be the case in up to 35 per cent of their series of elderly colitics after critical review.
