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Allergic intestinal lesions - Causes
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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The intestines can serve as an entry point for the penetration of various exogenous allergens (food, chemical, medicinal, parasitic, etc.) into the body. Antibodies fixed in them can be observed in the intestinal wall, and antigens that have entered the body in various ways (inhalation, subcutaneous, intravenous) cause an immunological process, resulting in various functional lesions of the intestines. In other words, the intestines can be a "shock" organ in which an antigen-antibody reaction develops when the body is sensitized parenterally.
Thus, in serum sickness, bronchial asthma, hay fever, urticaria, Quincke's edema, drug allergy, intestinal dysfunctions of an allergic nature are observed. On the other hand, inflammatory and atrophic changes in the intestinal mucosa increase the likelihood of absorption of food and drug antigens and favor secondary sensitization of the body. In this case, a decrease in the production of secretory IgA, which normally prevents exoantigens from penetrating the intestinal wall, can play a role. Allergic damage to the intestines most often occurs with food and drug allergies, as well as on the basis of sensitization to automicroflora.
Allergic entero- and colopathy can develop secondarily on the basis of dysbacteriosis, chronic enteritis, colitis, cholecystitis due to sensitization to automicroflora, tissue antigens, and especially often to food antigens and various food additives (preservatives, dyes, antibacterial substances, etc.).
Consequently, intestinal dysfunctions in some cases are a consequence and manifestation of general allergosis, in others the allergic component can be a significant pathogenetic factor of a chronic pathological process in an organ of the most varied etiology.
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