Abstract

A rare case of gastric polyposis caused by infiltration of Langerhans' cells is reported. A 53 year old Japanese woman complaining of vague abdominal discomfort, was found at endoscopy to have numerous polyps all over the gastric wall. An endoscopic biopsy specimen showed characteristic infiltration of Langerhans' cells in the lamina propria of the mucosa. Functional abnormalities such as impaired gastric acid secretion or malabsorption were not associated with this lesion and the patient was treated conservatively. During follow up over two years, she had a cutaneous eruption with infiltration of histiocytes and osteolytic lesions in the skull. However, no progressive changes occurred in the stomach. This probably benign self-limiting lesion of gastric histiocytosis X may be one of the manifestations of multifocal histiocytosis X, but its aetiology and appropriate treatment have not yet been determined.