Protein losing enteropathy associated with collagen diseases.

Four patients with collagen diseases are described, who developed protein losing enteropathy in the course of their disease. Their protein losing enteropathies subsided after treatment with 60 mg/day oral prednisolone. Immunohistological studies of the small intestine showed deposits of C3 in the capillary walls of villi in two patients. Increased capillary permeability due to autoimmune phenomena may have a role in the pathogenesis of protein losing enteropathy associated with collagen diseases.