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Hypertrophic eosinophilic gastroenteropathy is associated with reduced enterocyte apoptosis
Author(s) -
Cuperus R,
Schäppi M G,
Shah N,
Lindley K J,
Milla P J,
Smith V V
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2005.02050.x
Subject(s) - submucosa , enterocyte , pathology , ileum , crypt , eosinophilia , hyperplasia , jejunum , tunel assay , eosinophil , apoptosis , lamina propria , biology , enteropathy , eosinophilic , medicine , gastroenterology , epithelium , small intestine , immunohistochemistry , disease , biochemistry , asthma
Aims : To investigate the cause of grossly elongated villi in four children presenting with obstruction due to a novel form of eosinophilic gastroenteropathy in which there was profound hyperplasia of the intestinal villi with grossly increased villous/crypt ratio and prominent mucosal eosinophilia. Increased eosinophils were also present in the muscularis propria and submucosa. All had intermittent diarrhoea and signs of a protein‐losing enteropathy. Methods and results : The cause of the grossly elongated villi was investigated by studying enterocyte proliferation (Ki67), survival factors (bcl‐2) and apoptosis (TUNEL) in these patients ( n = 4) and normal (jejunum n = 6, ileum n = 6) and disease ( n = 6) controls. The most remarkable finding was that apoptotic enterocytes were undetectable in the elongated villi. Conclusions : It seems likely that a defect in the regulation of apoptosis of the epithelium occurs which could explain the remarkable hyperplasia of the villi seen.