At least one in 1,000 people are thought to have microscopic colitis in the UK with 17,000 new cases being diagnosed each year. However the real number could be a lot higher because it is often underreported and misdiagnosed.
One study showed that one in three patients with the condition were initially incorrectly diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is also a growing disease and the number of patients diagnosed has been increasing over the past 20 years.
Research by Guts UK has found that women are 700% more likely than men to suffer with the condition than men. The charity is calling for more research to determine the reasons behind this gender disparity in the hope it will lead to prevention, faster diagnoses and developments in treatments.
