Colonic involvement in angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy resembling inflammatory bowel disease

A woman 68 years of age had fever, malaise, diffuse lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly followed by abdominal pain, and diarrhea. A lymph node biopsy specimen showed nonspecific follicular hyperplasia. Symptoms were responsive initially to prednisone. Recurrent symptoms warranted colonic biopsy, which was consistent with Crohn's disease, and were responsive partially to prednisone and azulfidine. Because of progressive deterioration, a repeat lymph node biopsy was performed and showed the characteristic histologic feature of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy (AILD). The evolution of the histopathologic features of the case is discussed, and gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations of AILD are reviewed. Although the GI tract is an unusual site for extra nodal AILD, colonic involvement can imitate the clinical and histologic features of inflammatory bowel disease.