Gluten-sensitive enteropathy.

Gluten-sensitive enteropathy is a disease characterized by villous atrophy related to the ingestion of wheat protein, gluten. In the present series of studies it was shown that gluten ingestion in affected patients is promptly followed by a local immune reaction involving the production of antigluten antibodies. An in vitro model of gluten enteropathy involving the organ culture of biopsy tissue has been developed which has led to the conclusion that gluten is not directly toxic to the gastrointestional mucosa but, instead, brings about tissue damage through the activation of an endogenous mechanism, presumably the immune system. An additional insight into the pathogenesis of gluten-sensitive enteropathy is afforded by the fact that some 90% of patients carry the HL-A8 histocompatibility type. This may be a marker for the presence of an abnormal immune response gene or may determine the presence of abnormal gluten-protein receptor sites on epithelial cells. Either of these abnormalities could result in a propensity to respond immunologically to gluten, with destructive consequences.