Aims: To describe the clinical and pathological features of a series of patients with biopsy findings of a coeliac disease-like enteropathy in the setting of an acute illness.
Methods and results: Eighteen cases of an abrupt-onset, self-limited illness with coeliac-like enteropathy (SLCE) were collected prospectively. Medication reaction, immune disorder, food allergy and parasitic infection were excluded. Coeliac disease was excluded by the transient nature of the illness and absence of tissue transglutaminase (TTG) elevation (nine of nine) or human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ2/DQ8 haplotype (eight of nine). Clinical symptoms were recorded and histopathological findings in all gastrointestinal sites were quantified. Findings in the duodenum were compared to a coeliac disease control group. In 12 cases the clinical diagnosis was infective enteritis, probably viral in type. In six cases, a definite diagnosis was not established. Histological differences from coeliac disease included intra-epithelial neutrophil infiltration (P < 0.001), fewer intra-epithelial lymphocytes (P = 0.038) and uniform or crypt predominant intra-epithelial lymphocytosis in SCLE. One case displayed pan-gastrointestinal tract lymphocytosis. All resolved within 6 months.
Conclusions: Histopathologists need to be aware that a coeliac disease-like enteropathy may occur in the setting of an acute gastrointestinal illness and resolve without sequelae.
Keywords: coeliac disease; coeliac-like enteropathy; infection; intra-epithelial lymphocytosis; villous atrophy; viral enteritis.
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.