Immunoglobulins and the Gastrointestinal Tract

Abstract

The gastrointestinal tract contains lymphoid elements, and lymphoid tissues that control the body's immunologic response are derived from the lymphoepithelial components of the intestine. Theoretically, then, immunologic events could be responsible for certain gastrointestinal disorders such as pernicious anemia and gastritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, nontropical sprue, and milk sensitivity. All these diseases have immunologic manifestations.