[Enteropathy due to olmesartan]

The olmesartan is a selective antagonist of angiotensin II indicated for the treatment of essential hypertension. We report the case of a gastrointestinal involvement with duodenal villous atrophy and lymphocytic infiltrate duodenal epithelial and colonic secondary to the olmesartan taking with test of positive reintroduction. The patient had chronic diarrhea with weight loss of 10kg occurring one month after the passage of 20 to 40mg/day olmesartan took three years. A rectosigmoidoscopy highlighted some puncture slightly erythematous areas. The responsibility of olmesartan was suspected and the drug was stopped. The evolution was rapidly favorable with disappearance of diarrhea 48hours later. Two days after the patient took the drug on its own initiative. Sigmoid biopsies showed an inflammatory infiltrate rich in lymphocytes. Gastroscopy showed erosive esophagitis and duodenal biopsies showed chronic duodenitis with epithelial lymphocytosis and subtotal villous atrophy. The reintroduction has led to the immediate resumption of diarrhea. Olmesartan was finalized. Diarrhea has not returned since. A colonoscopy performed six weeks after discharge was normal. Knowledge of the bowel olmesartan is recent and based almost solely on the description of 22 cases observed at the Mayo Clinic with patients, as in our case, have similar symptoms and lesions. We stress, about a publication of an isolated case, the possibility of less severe cases with histological abnormalities without clinical translation.