Diffuse intestinal ulcerations: Diagnostic challenge in a patient with complicated celiac disease.

A 48-year-old female patient presented with longstanding unrecognized celiac disease (CD), a family history of CD, and a short duration of alarming symptoms. The diagnostic evaluation revealed the concomitant presence of small and large bowel ulcers raised a dilemma about differential diagnosis in her case. Pathologic examination of tissue specimens from the jejunal ulcer led to the diagnosis of enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma. In recent years, the availability of modern cross-sectional imaging and endoscopy modalities has dramatically improved the detection and characterization of small bowel lesions. Characterization of small bowel ulcers by endoscopy and radiology imaging in a patient with suspected complicated CD (CCD) needs to be made in conjunction with all clinical factors, as there is a wide overlap of the possible etiologic factors. Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma is a highly aggressive T-cell lymphoma with a poor prognosis, since early diagnosis and appropriate treatment may be delayed due to nonspecific clinical and endoscopic presentation. Therefore, it is crucial to timely recognize patients with suspected CCD and properly navigate diagnostic imaging tools, acquire adequate biopsy, and perform immunophenotyping to set early diagnosis in patients with diffuse intestinal ulcers and CD.

Hemorragia digestiva y enfermedad celíaca complicada en paciente anticoagulado / Gastrointestinal bleeding and complicated celiac disease in anticoagulated patient

Resumen La enfermedad celíaca tiene una considerable frecuencia en nuestro medio. La mayoría de los pacientes presenta mejoría clínica, serológica y endoscópica al poco tiempo de iniciada la dieta libre de gluten. Un muy bajo porcentaje puede presentar o desarrollar una "enfermedad celíaca complicada", entidad que comprende el esprue refractario, la yeyunitis ulcerativa y el linfoma intestinal, que conllevan pronósticos desfavorables, con requerimiento de tratamientos más radicales. Presentamos aquí el caso de un paciente de 77 años evaluado en nuestro centro, que ingresó para estudio de hemorragia digestiva aguda y se realizó finalmente diagnóstico de enfermedad celiaca complicada, requiriendo inicio de tratamiento con corticoides sistémicos y seguimiento estrecho ambulatorio.

Abstract Celiac disease is considerably frequent in our media. Gluten-free diet shows clinical, serological and endoscopic improvement in most patients shortly after its start. A few patients may present or develop a "complicated celiac disease", an entity that includes refractory sprue, ulcerative jejunitis and intestinal lymphoma, which carry unfavorable prognoses, requiring more radical treatments. We present here the case of a 77-year-old male patient evaluated in our center, who was admitted for study of acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Complicated celiac disease was diagnosed, systemic corticosteroids were started and a close follow-up was carried out.

[Gastrointestinal bleeding and complicated celiac disease in anticoagulated patient]. / Hemorragia digestiva y enfermedad celíaca complicada en paciente anticoagulado.

Celiac disease is considerably frequent in our media. Gluten-free diet shows clinical, serological and endoscopic improvement in most patients shortly after its start. A few patients may present or develop a "complicated celiac disease", an entity that includes refractory sprue, ulcerative jejunitis and intestinal lymphoma, which carry unfavorable prognoses, requiring more radical treatments. We present here the case of a 77-year-old male patient evaluated in our center, who was admitted for study of acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Complicated celiac disease was diagnosed, systemic corticosteroids were started and a close follow-up was carried out.

La enfermedad celíaca tiene una considerable frecuencia en nuestro medio. La mayoría de los pacientes presenta mejoría clínica, serológica y endoscópica al poco tiempo de iniciada la dieta libre de gluten. Un muy bajo porcentaje puede presentar o desarrollar una "enfermedad celíaca complicada", entidad que comprende el esprue refractario, la yeyunitis ulcerativa y el linfoma intestinal, que conllevan pronósticos desfavorables, con requerimiento de tratamientos más radicales. Presentamos aquí el caso de un paciente de 77 años evaluado en nuestro centro, que ingresó para estudio de hemorragia digestiva aguda y se realizó finalmente diagnóstico de enfermedad celiaca complicada, requiriendo inicio de tratamiento con corticoides sistémicos y seguimiento estrecho ambulatorio.

Refractory celiac disease and EATL patients show severe malnutrition and malabsorption at diagnosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Refractory celiac disease type II (RCDII) and EATL (Enteropathy Associated T-cell Lymphoma) are (pre)malignant complications of celiac disease (CD). Data on malnutrition and intestinal absorption is lacking in these patients. Therefore, the aim of the study is to comprehensively assess nutritional status and intestinal absorption capacity of patients with RCDII and EATL, compared with data of newly diagnosed CD patients. METHODS: Observational study in tertiary care setting in RCDII (n = 24, 63.8 ± 8.2 y), EATL (n = 25, 62.3 ± 5.7 y) and CD patients (n = 43, 45.6 ± 14.8 y). At diagnosis, anthropometry (BMI, unintentional weight loss, fat-free mass index (FFMI), handgrip strength (HGS), nutritional intake, fecal losses and Resting Energy Expenditure (REE)) were assessed. RESULTS: Low BMI (<18.5) was more often observed in RCDII patients than in CD or EATL patients (in 33%, 12% and 12%, respectively, p = 0.029). EATL patients more frequently had unintentional weight loss (>10%) than CD or RCDII patients (in 58%, 19% and 39% of patients, respectively; p = 0.005/0.082). Energy malabsorption (<85%) was detected in 44% and 33% of RCDII and EATL patients, vs 21.6% in CD (NS). Fecal energy losses were higher in RCDII than in CD patients (589 ± 451 vs 277 ± 137 kcal/d, p = 0.017). REE was underestimated by predicted-REE with>10% in 60% of RCDII, 89% of EATL, and 38% of CD patients (p = 0.006). Low FFMI and HGS were detected in one third and two thirds of all patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional status of patients with RCDII and EATL is inferior compared with untreated naïve CD patients at presentation. Both malabsorption as well as hypermetabolism contribute to malnutrition.

A rare cause of protein losing enteropathy: collagenous sprue.

Collagenous sprue is a clinicopathological entity with an unknown etiology. Its clinical features include progressive malabsorption, diarrhea, weight loss, unresponsiveness to treatment, and high mortality rates. The age interval of collagenous sprue is quite broad and ranges between 2 and 85 years. As far as to our knowledge, the presented case is the first reported case in infancy.