immunoproliferative small intestine disease

immunoproliferative

 [im″u-no-pro-lif´er-ah-tiv]

characterized by the proliferation of the lymphoid cells producing immunoglobulins, as in the gammopathies.

immunoproliferative small intestine disease the gastrointestinal form of alpha chain disease, characterized by diarrhea, malabsorption, abdominal pain, clubbing, plasma cell infiltration of the lamina propria of the small bowel, and presence of an abnormal alpha heavy chain fragment in the serum; it frequently evolves into primary malignant lymphoma.

Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.