Sprue-like enteropathy associated with olmesartan medoxomil use has been recently reported. Its clinical manifestations include diarrhea, weight loss and malabsorption. Duodenal biopsies show villous atrophy (VA) with or without intraepithelial lymphocytosis and inflammation of the lamina propria. Serology for celiac disease (CD) is negative and gluten-free diet does not result in clinical improvement. Symptoms resolve after olmesartan discontinuation. Follow-up biopsies show recovery/improvement of the duodenum. Whether sprue-like enteropathy is a specific adverse reaction to olmesartan or rather a class effect of angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) remains a controversial issue. We report a case of sprue-like enteropathy associated with telmisartan. A 52-year-old man presented with chronic diarrhea, abdominal discomfort and significant weight loss. In the last 3 years, he had been treated with telmisartan 40 mg/day for hypertension after right adrenalectomy for an aldosterone-producing adenoma. Laboratory investigations showed no significant abnormalities: Hb 13.6 g/dL, serum albumin 3.9 g/dL, total cholesterol 193 mg/dL, serum creatinine 0.99 mg/dL, sodium 143.6 mmol/L, K+ 4.3 mmol/L, calcium 9.3 mg/dL, phosphorus 3.9 mg/dL and 25-OH-D3 27.7 ng/mL. Duodenal histology showed subtotal VA and inflammation of the lamina propria. CD serology was negative. HLA-DQ typing showed absence of the DQ2/DQ8 haplotypes. After telmisartan discontinuation, patient’s symptoms subsided, and his body weight increased despite persistence of a gluten-containing diet. Follow-up biopsies at 3 showed progressive duodenal recovery. Very few cases of sprue-like enteropathy associated with ARBs other than olmesartan have been reported. Our case of telmisartan-associated enteropathy further suggests that sprue-like disease may be a class effect of ARBs.

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Primary pulmonary B-cell lymphomas (PP-BCLs) comprise a group of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas of B-cell origin, which primarily affect the lung without evidence of extrapulmonary disease at the time of diagnosis and up to 3 months afterwards. Primary lymphoid proliferations of the lung are most often of B-cell lineage, and include three major entities with different clinical, morphological, and molecular features: primary pulmonary marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (PP-MZL, or MALT lymphoma), primary pulmonary diffuse large B cell lymphoma (PP-DLBCL), and lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG). Less common entities include primary effusion B-cell lymphoma (PEL) and intravascular large B cell lymphoma (IVLBCL). A proper workup requires a multidisciplinary approach, including radiologists, pneumologists, thoracic surgeons, pathologists, hemato-oncologists, and radiation oncologists, in order to achieve a correct diagnosis and risk assessment. Aim of this review is to analyze and outline the clinical and pathological features of the most frequent PP-BCLs, and to critically analyze the major issues in their diagnosis and management.