Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Antigen 4 Haploinsufficiency Presenting As Refractory Celiac-Like Disease: Case Report

Abstract

Primary immunodeficiency may present with treatment-refractory enteropathy. We present two patients with celiac/celiac-like disease diagnosed in early childhood and refractory to the gluten-free diet. One patient had features of multi-system autoimmunity, whereas the other had celiac-like disease as an isolated clinical finding. Both patients underwent genetic testing given disease refractoriness and were ultimately diagnosed with cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) haploinsufficiency. They are both now in complete clinical and endoscopic remission on abatacept. CTLA4 haploinsufficiency has incomplete penetrance and significant phenotypic heterogeneity but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of refractory celiac/celiac-like disease, as treatment implications are significant.

Keywords: CTLA4 deficiency; CTLA4 haploinsufficiency; abatacept; autoimmunity; case report; celiac disease; primary immunodeficencies (PID); refractory celiac disease.