Neurological manifestations of gastrointestinal disorders, with particular reference to the differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Centro Studi Sclerosi Multipla, Ospedale di Gallarate, Universitą di Milano, Gallarate, Varese, Italy.

Neurological manifestations of gastrointestinal disorders are described, with particular reference to those resembling multiple sclerosis (MS) on clinical or MRI grounds. Patients with celiac disease can present cerebellar ataxia, progressive myoclonic ataxia, myelopathy, or cerebral, brainstem and peripheral nerve involvement. Antigliadin antibodies can be found in subjects with neurological dysfunction of unknown cause, particularly in sporadic cerebellar ataxia ("gluten ataxia"). Patients with Whipple's disease can develop mental and psychiatric changes, supranuclear gaze palsy, upper motoneuron signs, hypothalamic dysfunction, cranial nerve abnormalities, seizures, ataxia, myorhythmia and sensory deficits. Neurological manifestations can complicate inflammatory bowel disease (e.g. ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) due to vascular or vasculitic mechanisms. Cases with both Crohn's disease and MS or cerebral vasculitis are described. Epilepsy, chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy, muscle involvement and myasthenia gravis are also reported. The central nervous system can be affected in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection because of vasculitis associated with HCV-related cryoglobulinemia. Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy (MNGIE) is a disease caused by multiple deletions of mitochondrial DNA. It is characterized by peripheral neuropathy, ophthalmoplegia, deafness, leukoencephalopathy, and gastrointestinal symptoms due to visceral neuropathy. Neurological manifestations can be the consequence of vitamin B1, nicotinamide, vitamin B12, vitamin D, or vitamin E deficiency and from nutritional deficiency states following gastric surgery.

PMID: 11794474 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Comment in:

 

Neurological manifestations of celiac disease.

Department of Internal Medicine, Federal University of Cearį, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.

Celiac disease (CD/ Nontropicalsprue, gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is a malabsortive condition in which an allergic reaction to the cereal grain-protein gluten (present in wheat, rye and barley) causes small intestine mucosal injury. The onset is in the first four decades of life, with a female to male ratio of 2:1. It may be associated with a wide spectrum of neurological manifestations including cerebellar ataxia, epileptic seizures, dementia, neuropathy, myopathy and multifocal leucoencephalopathy. We report three patients with neurological manifestations related with CD: one with cerebellar ataxia, one with epilepsy and one with cognitive impairment. The diagnosis of CD was confirmed by serologic tests (antiendomysial and antigliadin antibodies) and biopsy of the small intestine. In two patients the neurological symptoms preceded the gastrointestinal abnormalities and in all of them gluten restriction failed to improve the neurological disability. CONCLUSION: CD should be ruled out in the differential diagnosis of neurological dysfunction of unknown cause, including ataxia, epilepsy and dementia. A gluten free diet, the mainstay of treatment, failed to improve the neurological disability.

PMID: 15608953 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Department of Neurosciences, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 5, 35128 Padua, Italy. chiara.briani@unipd.it

Antibodies to gangliosides and Purkinje cells have been reported in patients with celiac disease (CD) with neuropathy and ataxia, respectively. Whether these antibodies are pathogenic is not clear. The response of neurological symptoms and antibody titers to a gluten-free diet is still controversial. The objective of our study was to assess whether neurological manifestations in CD patients correlate with antibody titers and a gluten-free diet.Thirty-five CD patients (9 males, 26 females, mean age 37.1 +/- 12.6 yrs) were followed prospectively. At initial evaluation, 23 were on a gluten-free diet, 12 were not. At recruitment and during follow-up, patients underwent neurological and electrophysiological evaluation. IgG, IgM, and IgA anti-ganglioside antibodies were assayed by ELISA; anti-neuronal antibodies were assessed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Four patients, all males, had electrophysiological evidence of neuropathy; three had been on a gluten-free diet for several months, and one was newly diagnosed. One had reduced tendon reflexes; another complained of distal paresthesias. With regard to anti-ganglioside antibodies, three patients had a moderate increase in antibodies without symptoms or signs of neuropathy. No patients had ataxia or cerebellar dysfunction, although in four patients reactivity to neuronal antigens was found. In 17 patients, an electrophysiological follow-up (mean duration of follow-up, 9 months) showed no changes. In conclusion, the preliminary results of this prospective study indicate that neuropathy, usually subclinical, may accompany CD. Antibody titers do not seem to correlate with neurological symptoms/signs or diet. Ongoing follow-up will help confirm these data and clarify the role, if any, of antibodies in neurological involvement in CD

Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Gemelli Hospital, Rome, Italy.

OBJECTIVES: Subclinical celiac disease (CD) has been associated with various neurological disorders, the most common being neuropathy and cerebellar ataxia. The aims of the present study were to assess the following: 1) the prevalence of CD in patients affected by migraine; 2) whether there are regional cerebral blood flow abnormalities in migraine patients with CD compared to migraine patients without CD; and 3) the effects of a gluten free diet in migraine patients with CD. METHODS: A total of 90 patients affected by idiopathic migraine were enrolled, and 236 blood donors were used as controls. Serum IgG antitransglutaminase (TgA) and IgA antiendomysial (EmA) were measured. In positive cases, diagnosis was confirmed endoscopically. A gluten free diet was started in the patients diagnosed with CD, who were followed for 6 months. A single photon emission CT brain study was performed before and after a gluten free diet. RESULTS: Four of 90 (4.4%; 95% CI = 1.2-11.0) migraine patients were found to have CD compared with 0.4% (95% CI = 0.01-2.3) blood donor controls (p < 0.05). During the 6 months of gluten free diet, one of the four patients had no migraine attacks, and the remaining three patients experienced an improvement in frequency, duration, and intensity of migraine. Single photon emission CT studies showed a regional baseline reduction in brain tracer uptake in all four patients. Such reduction in uptake completely resolved at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a significant proportion of patients with migraine may have CD, and that a gluten free diet may lead to a improvement in the migraine in these patients.