Olmesartan-Induced Enteropathy

Olmesartan-induced enteropathy mimics celiac disease clinically and pathologically. As in celiac disease, the pathologic findings are villous atrophy and increased intraepithelial lymphocytes. Clinical presentation of olmesartan-induced enteropathy includes diarrhea, weight loss, and nausea. In contrast to celiac disease, tissue transglutaminase is not elevated and there is no response to a gluten-free diet. Including this entity in the differential diagnosis of sprue-like enteropathy is critical for its early diagnosis since replacing olmesartan with an alternative antihypertensive drug can simplify the diagnostic workup and provide both clinical and histologic improvement.