Colite induite par le méloxicam et révélée par une douleur abdominale aiguë

Whether intestinal toxicity of preferential or selective COX-2 inhibitors is reduced compared with that of standard NSAIDs is controversial. A 26-year-old woman presented with acute abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea a few days after beginning meloxicam treatment. Endoscopic examination of the colon showed erythematous and ulcerative lesions involving 15 cm of the left colon. No aetiology has been found for colitis. Diarrhea disappeared 1 week after meloxicam was stopped. Total colonoscopy 3 months and 2 years later was normal. The role of meloxicam in the etiology of colitis was considered plausible. This report and a few other cases in the literature suggest that cyclooxygenase-2 selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug inhibitor toxicity should be investigated in case of unexplained acute colitis.