Development of lymphocytic gastritis with recurrent Helicobacter pylori infection

Prevalence of Esophageal Eosinophilia, Eosinophilic Esophagitis, and Lymphocytic Gastritis in Children with Celiac Disease: A Saudi Tertiary Center Experience

Background

Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated enteropathy that has been associated with other immune-related gastrointestinal disorders, such as eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and lymphocytic gastritis (LG). To our knowledge, this is the first study in Saudi Arabia that has described such an association.

Aim

To evaluate the prevalence of EoE and LG in children and adolescents with CD.

Methods

This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of all pediatric patients (aged 0-18 years) with CD following up at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, between January, 2014, and December, 2021. The study examined clinical, demographic, endoscopic, and histopathological data.

Results

Seventy-five patients with CD were included in the analysis. The median age was 12 years (range, 2-18 years). Male constituted 54.7% of the overall cohort (n = 41). The most common clinical symptoms were short stature (54.7%), weight loss (34.7%), abdominal pain (33.3%), abdominal distension (29.3%), anorexia (29.3%), diarrhea (24%), and vomiting (21.3%). The esophageal biopsy results reported were basal cell hyperplasia in 24 patients (32.9%), esophageal eosinophilia in 23 patients (31.5%), and EoE in 3 patients (4.1%). The gastric biopsy results were normal in 40 patients (53.3%). The most common abnormality was chronic inactive gastritis with no Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection (16%). LG was found in 3 patients (4%).

Conclusions

The prevalence of EoE in this cohort of patients with CD was lower than the prevalence recorded in a number of other studies. Further studies are needed to determine the effects of a gluten-free diet (GFD) on EOE and LG.

Normal gastrointestinal tract inflammatory cells and review of select benign hematolymphoid proliferations

The luminal gastrointestinal tract can be a site of robust immune response in which reactive lymphoproliferative processes can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from lymphoma. In this article, we review gastrointestinal tract normal resident inflammatory cells and common nonneoplastic lymphoproliferative responses with emphasis on their differential and links to lymphoma. Topics that are covered include lymphocytic esophagitis, gastric chronic inflammation, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, and ulceration, small intestinal lymphoid hyperplasia, celiac disease, microscopic colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, primary immunodeficiency, graft-versus-host disease, and anti-programmed cell death protein-1 effect. We additionally present the less common differential of histiocytic processes within the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this paper is to serve as a reference for practicing pathologists facing lymphoid, lymphoplasmacytic, or histiocytic processes in the luminal gastrointestinal tract. We hope to help the practicing pathologist distinguish benign from malignant entities and identify features requiring further workup.