Repeated episodes of visual disturbances associated with subclinical coeliac disease and cerebral calcifications in a Chinese patient : a case report and review of the literature

Coeliac disease (CD), epilepsy, and cerebral calcifications (CEC) are manifested as a rare neurological syndrome reported most commonly in Italian, Argentinian, and Spanish people. In this study, a case of a 27-year-old Chinese woman with visual disturbances, unilateral occipitoparietal calcifications, and subclinical CD is reported. She had been suffering from repetitive episodes of “dizziness” for 18 years, which was finally diagnosed as occipital epilepsy via EEG. Cerebral CT and MRI showed asymmetrical right occipital calcifications and excluded vascular malformations. Although denying having diarrhea or flatulence, she still underwent endoscopy of the upper digestive tract and biopsy, of which the findings indicated CD. The patient began a strict gluten-free diet and had no clinical recurrence. Furthermore, to explain the cause of the related symptoms, existing literature was found to illustrate the importance of screening patients with epilepsy and cerebral calcifications for CD, regardless of any gastrointestinal symptoms.