Refractory chronic diarrhea complicated with optic neuritis in a young woman: A case report.

Background: Collagenous sprue is a serious intestinal malabsorption disorder characterized by dull and flattened intestinal villi with subepithelial collagen deposition. At present, fewer than 100 cases have been reported in the literature. Owing to the rarity of this disease, clinicians and pathologists have insufficient understanding of it.

Case summary: The authors present a case of a 34-year-old female patient who presented with severe watery diarrhea with significant weight loss. She also experienced blurred binocular vision. The intestinal lesions were located mainly in the small intestine, which presented flat and dull intestinal villi with subepithelial collagen deposition. Masson staining was positive. Glucocorticoids were effective for this patient, but there seemed to be glucocorticoid dependence.

Conclusion: Collagenous stomatitis diarrhea is a rare intestinal malabsorption disease that needs to be diagnosed in combination with special clinical manifestations and unique histological features.