Drug-Induced Dysphagia and Diarrhea: A Case of Colchicine Toxicity

We report a 70-year-old woman with 1 year of progressive diarrhea, dysphagia, and 100-pound weight loss, resulting in severe protein-calorie malnutrition. Endoscopy revealed mid-esophageal webs, erosions, erythema, gastric antrum and duodenum congestion, and mucosal granularity in the sigmoid colon. Biopsies from the esophagus, duodenum, and colon showed ring mitoses, prominent dyskeratosis/apoptosis, epithelial atypia, and regenerative changes consistent with colchicine toxicity. Her symptoms resolved within 3 days of discontinuing colchicine.