Quantification of enterochromaffin cells with serotonin immunoreactivity in the duodenal mucosa in coeliac disease.

Enterochromaffin cells in the duodenal mucosa were stained by using a monoclonal antibody against serotonin immunoreactive sites and an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. A semi-automatic image analysing system showed increased numbers of these cells in patients with untreated coeliac disease compared with a control group. The number of serotonin positive granules in individual enterochromaffin cells also seemed to be increased in patients with coeliac disease, a finding which may be related to the pathogenesis of this disorder.