Subject:
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Metabolic aspects of gastrointestinal diseases Tumor pathology Haematology Metabole aspecten van maag-, darm- en leveraandoeningen Tumor pathologie |
Organization:
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Gastroenterology Pathology Haematology |
Journal title:
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Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde
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Abstract:
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A 50-year-old woman who had suffered from well-regulated coeliac disease for 16 years, presented with weight loss, soft stools and abdominal cramps. She had ulcers in the oesophagus and stomach, and in biopsies localisations of so-called enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL) were detected. During a staging investigation she suffered an enteric perforation and later on repeated haemorrhages, from which she eventually died. Patients with coeliac disease who do not respond to a gluten free diet or who relapse after an initial response should be investigated for the presence of a gastrointestinal malignancy. Weight loss is an important symptom. The most frequently occurring malignant complication is an EATL. This is often difficult to diagnose and the prognosis is poor, with frequent complications such as haemorrhages and perforations.
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