CASE REPORT

A case of cough, lymphocytic bronchoalveolitis and coeliac disease with improvement following a gluten free diet

C E Brightling¹, F A Symon¹, S S Birring¹, A J Wardlaw¹, R Robinson² and I D Pavord¹

¹ Institute for Lung Health, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Thoracic Surgery, University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester LE3 9QP, UK
² Department of Integrated Medicine, University Hospitals of Leicester

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr C E Brightling, University Hospitals of Leicester, Groby Road, Leicester LE3 9QP, UK;
chris.brightling{at}uhl-tr.nhs.uk

Chronic cough is a common reason for presentation to a respiratory clinic. In up to 20% of cases the cause remains unclear after investigations. We report one such case where there was bronchoscopic evidence of lymphocytic airway inflammation in association with newly diagnosed coeliac disease. All features improved markedly on a gluten free diet, suggesting a causal relationship between coeliac disease, cough, and lymphocytic bronchoalveolitis.

Keywords: cough; coeliac disease; lymphocytic bronchoalveolitis; gluten free diet

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