Unintentional Weight Loss in a Renal Transplant Recipient: Do Not Overlook Coeliac Disease

Abstract

Unintentional weight loss in a renal transplant recipient is an important condition, requiring diagnostic search within the framework of malignancy and opportunistic infections. To the best of our knowledge, there are no data in the literature reporting underlying coeliac disease as the cause of significant weight loss after renal transplant. We report a 32-year-old woman, who complained of significant weight loss during the 3.5 years posttransplant. Diagnostic work-up revealed coeliac disease, and a gluten-free diet stabilized her weight loss. Considering the high frequency of coeliac disease, this should be kept in the differential diagnosis of renal transplant recipients presented with weight loss and other suggestive features.

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“…Only 1 case report has reported celiac disease as a cause of weight loss in renal transplant recipients 14 ; however, our study is the first to report celiac disease as a cause (celiac disease has been shown in 18 patients). These patients responded to gluten-free diet (data not shown).…”