New Treatment Option for Autoimmune Enteropathy: A Rare Case of Intractable Diarrhea Treated with Vedolizumab.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Gordon Robbins, Emory University; Jessica Tracht, Emory University; Drew Davis, Emory University; Heba Iskandar, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-12-05
• Publisher: American College of Gastroenterology
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © Robbins et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.14309/crj.2018.92
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: ACG Case Reports Journal
• ISSN: 2326-3253
• Volume: 5
• Start Page: e92
• End Page: e92
• Keywords: immunomodulators; adults; chronic diarrhea; abdominal pain; vedolizumab; villous blunting; comorbidities; side effects; weight loss; autoimmune enteropathy; TNF-alpha inhibitors; steroids
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Pharmacology; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Autoimmune enteropathy is an uncommon cause of chronic diarrhea rarely seen in adults. The disease is secondary to an autoimmune process in the gut that leads to villous blunting and subsequent watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, and severe weight loss. The disease has only been described in 37 adults prior to our case, and variable treatment success has been documented with steroids, immunomodulators, and TNF-α inhibitors. This case is the first to show success in treating autoimmune enteropathy with vedolizumab and provides physicians with an additional therapeutic option when limited by a patient's comorbidities and side effects of other drugs.