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Celiac.com 01/21/2023 - Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disorder that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals, causing damage to the small intestine when gluten is consumed. The only treatment option currently available is a strict, long-term gluten-free diet, which can be restrictive, socially limiting, and costly. In a recent study, researchers aimed to identify the factors associated with a better quality of life in a large group of French celiac disease patients. The study, conducted between January and March 2016, surveyed celiac disease patients who were 15 years or older and self-reported as having an official diagnosis of celiac disease. Information about the study along with a link to an online questionnaire were sent via email to the members of the French Association of Gluten Intolerant People (AFDIAG). The online questionnaire included both demographic and clinical data, the French version of the “Celiac Disease Questionnaire” (F-celiac diseaseQ), along with information on gluten-free purchasing and consumption habits. The results of the study showed that out of the 4,000 patients who were contacted, 907 (23%) or them responded to the questionnaire, and 787 (20%) of them were included in the final analysis. The population included was predominantly female (81%) with a median age of 49 years old. The median age at the time of celiac disease diagnosis was 38 years, and the median duration of those who were on a gluten-free diet was 10 years. Seventy-one percent of the patients had a self-assessed dietary compliance rating of more than 8/10 over the prior six months. The dimensions with the best results on the F-celiac diseaseQ questionnaire were “Social” and “Gastrointestinal Symptoms”, while the dimensions with the worst results were “Emotions” and “Worries”. The study found that the duration of and compliance with a gluten-free diet are major factors that influence the quality of life of patients with celiac disease. These findings have important implications for healthcare providers as they suggest that by taking into consideration the restrictive aspects of the gluten-free diet and working to improve adherence, the management of celiac disease can be improved. Additionally, the study also found that the frequency of follow-up visits was not associated with better compliance or better quality of life, which could be useful for healthcare providers in terms of resource allocation. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering quality of life in the management of celiac disease and the need for further research in this area. Read more at mdpi.com

Celiac.com 06/12/2018 - A life-long gluten-free diet is the only proven treatment for celiac disease. However, current methods for assessing gluten-free diet compliance are lack the sensitivity to detect occasional dietary transgressions that may cause gut mucosal damage. So, basically, there’s currently no good way to tell if celiac patients are suffering gut damage from low-level gluten contamination. A team of researchers recently set out to develop a method to determine gluten intake and monitor gluten-free dietary compliance in patients with celiac disease, and to determine its correlation with mucosal damage. The research team included ML Moreno, Á Cebolla, A Muñoz-Suano, C Carrillo-Carrion, I Comino, Á Pizarro, F León, A Rodríguez-Herrera, and C Sousa. They are variously affiliated with Facultad de Farmacia, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Biomedal S.L., Sevilla, Spain; Unidad Clínica de Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain; Celimmune, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; and the Unidad de Gastroenterología y Nutrición, Instituto Hispalense de Pediatría, Sevilla, Spain. For their study, the team collected urine samples from 76 healthy subjects and 58 patients with celiac disease subjected to different gluten dietary conditions. To quantify gluten immunogenic peptides in solid-phase extracted urines, the team used a lateral flow test (LFT) with the highly sensitive and specific G12 monoclonal antibody for the most dominant GIPs and an LFT reader. They detected GIPs in concentrated urines from healthy individuals previously subjected to gluten-free diet as early as 4-6 h after single gluten intake, and for 1-2 days afterward. The urine test showed gluten ingestion in about 50% of patients. Biopsy analysis showed that nearly 9 out of 10 celiac patients with no villous atrophy had no detectable GIP in urine, while all patients with quantifiable GIP in urine showed signs of gut damage. The ability to use GIP in urine to reveal gluten consumption will likely help lead to new and non-invasive methods for monitoring gluten-free diet compliance. The test is sensitive, specific and simple enough for clinical monitoring of celiac patients, as well as for basic and clinical research applications including drug development. Source: Gut. 2017 Feb;66(2):250-257.  doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2015-310148.