Celiac disease complicated by chronic nongranulomatous ulcerative enterocolitis, nodular lymphoid hyperplasia, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

A patient is presented in whom celiac disease was complicated by the development of chronic nongranulomatous ulcers in the small and large intestine. In addition, he had nodular lymphoid hyperplasia in the bowel wall and mesenteric lymphoadenopathy. The terminal illness was characterized by disseminated intravascular coagulation. It is postulated that the lymphoid hyperplasia was secondary to excessive stimulation of the reticuloendothelial system by nongluten antigens and may be a precursor of the development of lymphoma in celiac disease. Nongluten antigens such as bacteria or endotoxins were probably responsible for the consumptive coagulopathy.