[Immunology and gastroenterology]

Immunology and gastroenterology are associated due to the part of the gastrointestinal tract with respect to the maturation of the immune system and because of the abundance of immunocytes within the mucosa. Therefore on the one hand a deformity is followed by immune deficiency, on the other hand contact between antigens and the immune system may cause different types of hypersensitivity. Autoimmunopathy, however, develops without known exogenous factors. It may be a primary disease of the gut but also a partial manifestation of a generalized reaction. Finally, each malignant immunoproliferative disease may strike the gut. So the diversity of interaction between the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system causes a variety of immunological disease.