Concomitant presentation of collagenous sprue and HFE hemochromatosis

Collagenous sprue (CS) is a progressive malabsorptive disorder characterized by collagen deposition beneath the basement membrane of small bowel epithelium in refractory celiac sprue. (1) CS is a pathologically distinct entity from celiac disease, despite a similar clinical presentation. The etiology of CS is unclear, although there are speculations that CS and celiac disease may share similar pathogenetic pathways. (2) On the other hand, HFE hemochromatosis (HH) is a distinct disease entity. Celiac disease and HH are common HLA-associated genetic disorders in Northern European populations. There are a few case reports linking celiac disease and HH. We present a patient diagnosed with concurrent CS and HH. (C) 2011 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.