PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - K Freeman AU - P P Anthony AU - D S Miller AU - A P Warin TI - Cronkhite Canada syndrome: a new hypothesis. AID - 10.1136/gut.26.5.531 DP - 1985 May 01 TA - Gut PG - 531--536 VI - 26 IP - 5 4099 - http://gut.bmj.com/content/26/5/531.short 4100 - http://gut.bmj.com/content/26/5/531.full SO - Gut1985 May 01; 26 AB - The occurrence of Cronkhite Canada syndrome in a 78 year old man is described. The presence of total gastrointestinal mucosal atrophy with nail loss is reported for the first time. It is suggested that the polyps represent residues of aged cells with no absorptive function and that the condition results from the loss of normal proliferative stimuli or acquired resistance to them. The primary biochemical abnormality may be in the affected epithelia but the changes here could alternatively be secondary to failure of synthesis or release of growth factors.