Microscopic colitis is characterized by watery non-bloody diarrhea, with normal or nearly normal colonoscopy results and typical histological features. Risk factors for the disease include: older age, female gender, smoking, use of certain medications and coexisting autoimmune diseases. In order to diagnose the condition, colonoscopy with biopsies is necessary. Patients with microscopic colitis should be screened for celiac disease. The treatment of choice for both induction and maintenance of remission is budesonide, which has a favourable safety profile. Microscopic colitis does not increase the risk of colorectal cancer, therefore patients do not require intensified endoscopic surveillance. An overlap between symptoms of microscopic colitis and irritable bowel syndrome is often observed, which leads to diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties.