Digestive-tract sarcoidosis: French nationwide case-control study of 25 cases

Granulomatous hepatitis with Crohn's disease: a case report

A 45-year-old man who was regularly followed up for Crohn's disease (CD) and maintained clinical remission with vedolizumab (VDZ). At 37 years old, he was diagnosed CD from longitudinal ulcers in the distal ileum by balloon-assisted enteroscopy (BAE). During the follow-up, liver enzyme elevation, splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia were in progress. Esophagogastric varices suggested chronic liver disease and portal hypertension. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) showed liver stiffness of 3.4 kPa and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) of 1.86%. He was diagnosed with granulomatous hepatitis based on a liver biopsy. The hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) was mildly elevated at 7 mmHg, consistent with the pre-sinusoidal portal hypertension due to granulomatous hepatitis. We report a rare case with granulomatous hepatitis diagnosed from liver injury and portal hypertension, despite the stable intestinal symptoms of CD.

Host-related low-prevalence gastritides: Epidemiological and clinical characterization

INTRODUCTION

A recent consensus meeting (RE.GA.IN) addressed "host-related, low-prevalence gastritis": eosinophilic (EoG), lymphocytic (Hp-pos_LyG and Hp-neg_LyG), collagenous (CollG), and granulomatous gastritis (GrG). Our study evaluates their clinico-epidemiological characteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We extracted all patients with a diagnosis of EoG, LyG, CollG, and GrG from a clinicopathological database and compared their demographics, clinical and endoscopic characteristics, associated conditions, and clinical awareness to those of all other subjects in the database (controls).

RESULTS

There were 1,781,005 unique patients (median age 57 years; 55.7 % female). Hispanics were overrepresented amongst those with Hp-pos_LyG. Subjects with GrG had a high prevalence of erosions and ulcers. Clinical awareness of these conditions was dismal (<1:10,000 patients). Some clinical manifestations were more common in patients with certain gastritides (e.g., vomiting and diarrhea in CollG; anemia in LyG), but none were sufficiently distinctive to suggest a clinical diagnosis. EoG was associated with EoE; LyG had a strong association with celiac disease; CollG with microscopic colitis; and GrG with Crohn disease.

CONCLUSIONS

The diagnosis of these gastritides (between <1: in 1,000 and 1 in 5000 subjects) rests on histopathology. They remain poorly characterized and clinically neglected. Yet, their associations may herald other conditions: eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGID), celiac, and Crohn disease. Patients might benefit from increased detection and characterization.

A Profound Vitamin B12 Deficiency in a Patient with Lofgren's Syndrome

Lofgren's syndrome is a unique manifestation of sarcoidosis presenting with erythema nodosum, bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and migratory polyarthritis. A concurrent vitamin B12 deficiency is not well described and may be related to a rare gastrointestinal manifestation of sarcoid and Lofgren's syndrome. We describe a case of a 57-year-old male presented with migratory polyarthritis, erythemic nodules, edema of his legs and fever. His laboratory tests showed anemia with a profound vitamin B12 deficiency. Imaging demonstrated bilateral hilar adenopathy. Pathology revealed non-necrotizing granulomas consistent with sarcoidosis. The patient was started on prednisone and vitamin B12 supplements with improvement of his complaints and vitamin B12 levels. Sarcoidosis can manifest in many extrapulmonary organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in nutritional deficiencies, such as vitamin B12 deficiency. Treatment of these nutritional deficiencies includes treatment with steroids, as well as vitamin supplementation. We suggest this case to be a rare manifestation of gastrointestinal involvement in Lofgren syndrome; however, a biopsy from the GI tract was not performed to confirm the diagnosis. An informed consent was obtained from the patient. An institutional approval was not required for the publication of this case.

Whipple's Disease Mimicking Sarcoidosis

Whipple's disease is a rare systemic disease caused by a Tropheryma whipplei infection. Although older literature reports a low rate of incidence, case reports continue to rise due to increased awareness of the disease. Classic Whipple's disease presents as weight loss, diarrhea, and arthralgia and may involve the heart, central nervous system (CNS), or any other organ system. Some patients with Whipple's disease do not have the classic signs and symptoms of the disease.  We present a case of Whipple's disease in a patient with poor appetite, weight loss, and granulomatous inflammation of various organs, including the kidneys and spleen, mimicking sarcoidosis. She had presented three years earlier with acute kidney injury (AKI) and hypercalcemia. The renal biopsy revealed diffuse granulomatous interstitial nephritis. Both AKI and hypercalcemia resolved with prednisone; however, her weight loss and decreased appetite continued. The initial positron emission tomography (PET) scan showed increased fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) avidity in the spleen and large intestine, and the splenic biopsy revealed non-caseating granulomas. A diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made, and she was started on methotrexate with prednisone. Nevertheless, the weight loss and poor appetite were relentless. A repeat PET scan showed increased FDG avidity in loops of the small and large intestines. A small intestinal biopsy revealed positive periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and negative acid-fast bacilli (AFB) revealing the diagnosis of Whipple's disease. Whipple's disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of sarcoidosis, especially in those patients worsening on standard immunosuppression.

[Sarcoidosis as prime example of a granulomatous disease]

Sarcoidosis is the most frequent immunologically related granulomatous disease and can serve as a model for understanding diseases within this category. The evidence on the diagnostics and treatment is so far limited. It is therefore all the more important that two new and significant guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of sarcoidosis were published during the last 2 years. Additionally, there were more new publications, which were considered for this review article. In this context, this review article provides a current update and overview of sarcoidosis. Pathophysiologically, there is an increasing understanding of the complex processes and interactions involved in the inflammatory processes and granuloma formation. The probability of a diagnosis of sarcoidosis is determined by compatible histology, the exclusion of differential diagnoses and if possible evidence of a multiorgan manifestation. The clinical course is variable and ranges from an asymptomatic manifestation to severe life-threatening organ failure. The most frequently affected organ are the lungs. Pulmonary fibrosis is the most severe form and is also decisive for mortality. An increasing focus is on the extrapulmonary organ manifestations, in particular, cardiac, hepatosplenic, gastrointestinal, renal, ocular and neurological involvement. Treatment, which consists primarily of immunosuppression, should be initiated in cases of organ-threatening or quality of life-impairing activity of the disease. Additional organ-specific management must also be evaluated. In cases of organ failure transplantation should be considered. Due to the limited evidence especially for the treatment of multiorgan sarcoidosis, when possible, patients with this disease should be included in clinical trials.

Crohn’s Disease Diagnosed in a Man with Sarcoidosis: Coincidence or Correspondence?

Crohn's disease and sarcoidosis are characterized by noncaseating granulomas, but rarely do they present in the same patient. Their coexistence presents a diagnostic challenge as they are often classified as clinically separate, despite their similarities. We present a case of a 59-year-old man previously diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis who presented to the emergency room with abdominal pain and diarrhea. Colonoscopy revealed multiple ulcers in the colon, with histology in keeping with newly diagnosed Crohn's colitis. The patient had a good clinical response to initiation of steroid therapy and a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor.

Dysphagia: A Rare Presentation of Sarcoidosis

Gastrointestinal (GI) sarcoidosis is a rare manifestation of this multi-systemic granulomatous disorder. Esophageal involvement is extremely rare and there have been few case reports about this. Our article reports a case of esophageal sarcoidosis in which dysphagia was the main presenting symptom. The main initial treatment of symptomatic sarcoidosis in general and pulmonary sarcoidosis in specific usually involves corticosteroids, however, there are no specific guidelines for the management of GI sarcoidosis. Surprisingly, or maybe not, in our case, the dysphagia did not improve with steroid therapy which prompted further investigations as well as endoscopic intervention.

Challenging Mimickers in the Diagnosis of Sarcoidosis: A Case Study

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown cause characterized by a wide variety of presentations. Its diagnosis is based on three major criteria: a clinical presentation compatible with sarcoidosis, the presence of non-necrotizing granulomatous inflammation in one or more tissue samples, and the exclusion of alternative causes of granulomatous disease. Many conditions may mimic a sarcoid-like granulomatous reaction. These conditions include infections, neoplasms, immunodeficiencies, and drug-induced diseases. Moreover, patients with sarcoidosis are at risk of developing opportunistic infections or lymphoma. Reliably confirming the diagnosis of sarcoidosis and better identifying new events are major clinical problems in daily practice. To address such issues, we present seven emblematic cases, seen in our department, over a ten-year period along with a literature review about case reports of conditions misdiagnosed as sarcoidosis.

Endoscopic and histologic evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with sarcoidosis

BACKGROUND

The involvement of gastrointestinal tract is rare in sarcoidosis. Endoscopic and histologic evaluation likely provides diagnostic clue in sarcoidosis patients. The aims were to assess the frequency of abnormal endoscopy and histology in patients with sarcoidosis undergoing endoscopic evaluation and to characterize the endoscopic and histologic features in sarcoidosis of the gastrointestinal tract.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study that included 230 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of sarcoidosis in a tertiary care center. The endoscopic and pathology reports were assessed, and serum angiotensin converting enzyme analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Of 230 patients, 63 upper endoscopies and 142 colonoscopies were performed. The most common indication for upper endoscopy was abdominal pain (36.8%) while colonoscopy was most frequently performed for colorectal cancer screening (58.2%). There were 25 upper gastrointestinal biopsies performed (biopsy rate 39.7%) with a diagnostic yield of 92.0% abnormal biopsies, of which the main findings were esophageal tissue eosinophilia, gastritis and duodenal villous blunting. There were 99 lower gastrointestinal biopsies (biopsy rate 64.1%) with a diagnostic yield of 68.7% abnormal biopsies for adenocarcinoma, adenoma, inflammation, low-grade dysplasia, or polyp. Only one gastric biopsy revealed evidence of non-necrotizing granulomas. Of note, patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy or colonoscopy were more likely to have underlying gastrointestinal comorbidities (62.5%, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Patients with sarcoidosis undergoing endoscopic evaluation have high histologic abnormalities with a low probability of characteristic histologic (i.e. granulomas, Schaumann and asteroid bodies) findings.

Sarcoidosis: A Clinical Overview from Symptoms to Diagnosis

Sarcoidosis is a multi-system disease of unknown etiology characterized by the formation of granulomas in various organs. It affects people of all ethnic backgrounds and occurs at any time of life but is more frequent in African Americans and Scandinavians and in adults between 30 and 50 years of age. Sarcoidosis can affect any organ with a frequency varying according to ethnicity, sex and age. Intrathoracic involvement occurs in 90% of patients with symmetrical bilateral hilar adenopathy and/or diffuse lung micronodules, mainly along the lymphatic structures which are the most affected system. Among extrapulmonary manifestations, skin lesions, uveitis, liver or splenic involvement, peripheral and abdominal lymphadenopathy and peripheral arthritis are the most frequent with a prevalence of 25-50%. Finally, cardiac and neurological manifestations which can be the initial manifestation of sarcoidosis, as can be bilateral parotitis, nasosinusal or laryngeal signs, hypercalcemia and renal dysfunction, affect less than 10% of patients. The diagnosis is not standardized but is based on three major criteria: a compatible clinical and/or radiological presentation, the histological evidence of non-necrotizing granulomatous inflammation in one or more tissues and the exclusion of alternative causes of granulomatous disease. Certain clinical features are considered to be highly specific of the disease (e.g., Löfgren's syndrome, lupus pernio, Heerfordt's syndrome) and do not require histological confirmation. New diagnostic guidelines were recently published. Specific clinical criteria have been developed for the diagnosis of cardiac, neurological and ocular sarcoidosis. This article focuses on the clinical presentation and the common differentials that need to be considered when appropriate.

A life-threatening small bowel obstruction as onset of an unknown sarcoidosis: A case report

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disorder of unknown etiology characterized by non-caseating granulomas at the site of disease. A confident diagnosis should be established by the evidence of typical granulomas on biopsy and after exclusion of other conditions. Clinically recognizable Gastrointestinal involvement (GI) occurs in less than 1.6% of patients with sarcoidosis, with data revealing small intestine participation in 0.03% of the cases and few anecdotal reports describe a peritoneal presentation. Clinical manifestations of peritoneal sarcoidosis are abdominal discomfort, bloating, weight loss, epigastric and peri-umbilical pain with or without ascites, bowel obstruction. Treatment depends on symptoms and disease activity.

Herein we describe the case of a 42-years-old male patient who developed an acute, life–threatening small bowel obstruction as first manifestation of sarcoidosis.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the only report showing such extensive and acute onset of intra-abdominal sarcoidosis in the absence of a previous disease manifestation and without pulmonary involvement.

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Abdominal sarcoidosis is a sporadic event and localization without pulmonary involvement is rarer mimicking GI diseases.

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Reaching abdominal sarcoidosis diagnosis is not a straightforward process.

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It is pivotal to confirm sarcoidosis diagnosis before subjecting patients to an appropriate treatment.

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Corticosteroids are considered the cornerstone treatment.

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Asymptomatic patients may undergo a watch and wait follow-up with no need for a pharmacological therapy.

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Surgery is not often required but individualized patient evaluation is recommended.

Beyond Helicobacter: dealing with other variants of gastritis-an algorithmic approach

In daily practice, the presence of inflammation in gastric biopsies prompts a mental algorithm, an early question being whether the lesion present is Helicobacter-associated. If Helicobacter organisms are not found, then there is a further algorithm, governed by the predominant type of inflammatory cells present, and the presence of other features such as intraepithelial lymphocytosis, a subepithelial collagen band, granulomas, coexisting chronic inflammation, focality, and superimposed reactive changes including erosions and ulcers. Each of these generates its own differential diagnosis. If no inflammation is present, then the two major changes specifically looked for are the changes associated with hypergastrinaemia, by far the most common cause of which is treatment with proton pump inhibitors, and reactive changes. These may be present with and without accompanying inflammation, and, when the epithelial changes dominate, the term gastropathy is preferred. In this article, we present an approach to non-Helicobacter inflammation and gastropathies.

[Anorectal manifestations in systemic diseases]

Numerous systemic diseases (vasculitis, connective tissue disease or sarcoidosis) can display an involvement of the perianal skin, the rectum and/or the anus. Such knowledge is important in order to treat these complications specifically when possible. Lesions of the anorectum arising from systemic diseases can sometimes cause perforations in the peritoneal cavity (if concerning the higher portion of the rectum) and/or fistulization to the anal margin. Differential diagnosis, mostly infectious or inflammatory (Crohn's disease) must be ruled out in every case. Other systemic diseases can display specific manifestations as this is the case in scleroderma which can lead to anal incontinence. Despite the relative rarity of these manifestations, their ignorance would forbid global management of these complex diseases. It should thus be detected in each consultation and a regular follow-up must be provided with a proctologist and/or a gastroenterologist when needed.

Sarcoidosis Involving the Gastrointestinal Tract: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Management

Involvement of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is an infrequent extrathoracic presentation of sarcoidosis. We reviewed 305 cases of GI involvement reported in 238 patients, in whom GI sarcoidosis was the first sign of the disease in half the cases. The disease does not affect the GI tract uniformly, with a clear oral-anal gradient (80% of reported cases involved the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum). Clinicopathological mechanisms of damage may include diffuse mucosal infiltration, endoluminal exophytic lesions, involvement of the myenteric plexus, and extrinsic compressions. Ten percent of patients presented with asymptomatic or subclinical disease found on endoscopy. The diagnosis is relevant clinically because 22% of cases reviewed presented as life threatening. In addition, initial clinical/endoscopic findings may be highly suggestive of GI cancer. The therapeutic approach is heterogeneous and included wait-and-see or symptomatic approaches, glucocorticoid/immunosuppressive therapy, and surgery. Sarcoidosis of the gut is a heterogeneous, potentially life-threatening condition that requires a multidisciplinary approach and early clinical suspicion to institute personalized therapeutic management and follow-up.

Can colonic inflammatory polyp with numerous immunoglobulin G4-positive plasma cells represent a colonic manifestation of immunoglobulin G4-related disease? A case report

We present an asymptomatic case of a 79-year-old Japanese man who had a 6 mm colonic inflammatory polyp with numerous immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-positive plasma cells. No symptoms or abnormal laboratory data, such as changes in serum IgG4 levels, were found at the time of diagnosis or during the 1 year of follow-up thereafter. Additionally, no diffuse/localized swelling or masses were found in organs, except for colonic polyps, by abdominal computed tomography 1 year prior to the polypectomy. Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor was unlikely from the lack of spindle cell proliferation and ALK immunoreactivity. This is the first case of this colonic polyp in an asymptomatic person. This polyp could be probable for single organ manifestation of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), according to the comprehensive diagnostic criteria for IgG4-RD published in 2012; however, colonic manifestation of IgG4-RD has not been clarified owing to its rarity, and colon-specific criteria for IgG4-RD have not been proposed. Thus, we could not definitively establish the colonic polyp as IgG4-RD. Therefore, careful clinicopathological evaluation is needed to reveal whether this colonic polyp represents a nonspecific inflammatory response or an early manifestation of IgG4-RD.

Making a Positive Diagnosis of Intestinal Tuberculosis with the Aid of New Biologic and Histologic Features: How Far Have We Reached?

Background

The diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis (TB) and its differentiation from Crohn's disease (CD) remain a challenge. We review here in detail the various methods for the diagnosis of intestinal TB.

Summary

Colonoscopy findings in intestinal TB are useful and suggestive; histopathology of colonoscopic biopsies is contributory but rarely confirmatory. Increasing the number of colonoscopic biopsies increases the histological yield. Recent culture methods that have improved the yield for TB offer hope. Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) culture is now the standard of care as its yield is superior to that of the traditional Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Increasing the number of colonoscopic biopsy samples for MGIT culture can increase the yield. The culture and histology are complimentary. Even then a significant proportion of patients do not have a positive diagnosis of intestinal TB. Scoring systems have been developed with a sensitivity and specificity of 90 and 60%, respectively, but their utility in routine practice is yet to be established. Similarly, the ratio of visceral fat to total fat is helpful in differentiating CD from intestinal TB. Polymerase chain reaction has been used but its value seems uncertain. Gene Xpert® in an emerging technique that has been found to be useful in the diagnosis of pulmonary TB, and its utility in intestinal TB needs to be looked at. Newer technologies like TB-LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) need to be assessed in clinical studies.

Key Message

Optimization of the present diagnostic tools (taking an adequate number of biopsies for histology and culture) and study of newer techniques to learn their actual utility seems to be the way forward.

Granulomas in the gastrointestinal tract: deciphering the Pandora's box

Granulomas are organised collection of activated histiocytes induced by a persistent antigen stimulus. A wide variety of antigens encountered by the gastrointestinal tract are of this nature and hence the resulting granulomatous inflammation represents a tissue reaction pattern. The potential causes can be broadly classified as infections or non-infectious immune reactions. There is also a group where a cause is never identified. Granulomas may be of varying morphological appearance, most commonly epithelioid, foreign body type, suppurative and necrotizing. This may provide a clue as to the aetiology; however, in most cases, the cause requires further inquiry. Pathologists may need to cut deeper levels to look for foreign material and apply special stains to look for microorganisms. Pathologists also need to be certain that the process is a true granuloma and not a mimic. The site of occurrence in the gastrointestinal tract and the clinical setting is often paramount in establishing the aetiology. For instance, infections are more likely the cause in developing countries or when there is immunosuppression. Similarly, granulomas in the stomach are usually due to Crohn's disease; however, it is only rarely the cause of granulomas isolated to the appendix.