Autoimmune enteropathy and colitis in an adult patient.

The presence of circulating autoantibodies to gut enterocytes has been very rarely described in adults and is considered a possible cause of refractory sprue. Our aims was to describe the case of an adult patient with serum anti-enterocyte autoantibodies associated with a clinical picture characterized by involvement of both the small intestine and colon. A female, age 50, had suffered from diarrhea with mucus and blood, abdominal pain, thinness, anemia, and leukopenia since the age of 20.

Celiac disease in autoimmune cholestatic liver disorders.

Objectives: In this study, serological screening for celiac disease (CD) was performed in patients with autoimmune cholestasis to define the prevalence of such an association and to evaluate the impact of gluten withdrawal on liver disease associated with gluten sensitive enteropathy.

Methods: Immunoglobulin A endomysial, human and guinea pig tissue transglutaminase antibodies, and immunoglobulin A and G gliadin antibodies were sought in 255 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune cholangitis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Results: Immunoglobulin A endomysial and human tissue transglutaminase antibodies were positive in nine patients (seven primary biliary cirrhosis, one autoimmune cholangitis, and one primary sclerosing cholangitis), whose duodenal biopsy results showed villous atrophy consistent with CD.