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Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2005; 21 (5): 515-518. Celiac.com 06/08/2005 – Australian researchers searched Medline and other references for cases of celiac disease and liver disease from 1966 to 2003. They found six studies that reported liver biochemistry in 591 celiac disease patients—out of which a full 248 had abnormal results—the most common of which being elevated transaminases. In 115 of 130 patients with elevated transaminases a gluten-free diet returned the levels to normal. The researchers found a much greater association of primary biliary cirrhosis and advanced liver disease in those with celiac disease than expected, and conclude that abnormal liver biochemistry is frequent in untreated celiac disease—and those with it should undergo tissue transglutaminase screening for celiac disease—which could lead to a proper diagnosis in many cases. In rare cases celiac-induced hepatitis may progress to end-stage liver disease.

Celiac.com 05/07/2012 - People with celiac disease face a higher risk of developing primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in the early years after their celiac disease is diagnosed, according to a new report from Sweden. The report appears in the The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. A team of researchers recently set out to examine the risk of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in people with celiac disease. The researchers included Dr. Jonas F. Ludvigsson, Olle Kämpe, Benjamin Lebwohl, Peter H. R. Green, Shonni J. Silverberg and Anders Ekbom. They are affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics (J.F.L.) at Örebro University Hospital in Örebro, Sweden, the Clinical Epidemiology Unit (J.F.L., A.E.) of the Department of Medicine at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden; the Department of Medical Sciences (O.K.) at Uppsala University and University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden; and Celiac Disease Center (B.L., P.H.R.G.), and Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine (S.J.S.) at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York city, USA. At least one other study has suggested an association between celiac disease and primary hyperparathyroidism. For their study, Dr. Jonas F. Ludvigsson from Orebro University Hospital and colleagues examined the risk of PHPT among 17,121 patients with biopsy-verified celiac disease. They found that patients with celiac disease faced a 1.91-fold increased risk of PHPT compared to 85,166 matched controls. Ignoring the first year, due to a risk of ascertainment bias, the team found that the risk level for PHPT increased 3.29-fold through 60 months, and disappeared after that period. The decrease in risk level over time may be due to the beneficial effect of the gluten-free diet, the team noted. For every per 100,000 person-years at risk, the absolute risk level from one to five years of follow-up was 61 cases in patient, compared with just 22 cases in controls. The overall risk level was even greater, by 2.53 times, when the outcome was restricted to PHPT with an adenoma diagnosis in the National Cancer Registry. A review of the data show that the increased risk of PHPT persisted after restricting the analysis to 1987 or later, which post-date changes in ICD coding. The risk for PHPT was slightly higher for women diagnosed with celiac disease after menopause than for women diagnosed earlier in life. Their study does not "provide any insight into the nature of the association between celiac disease and PHPT," the authors admit. They are unsure whether the association is causal or whether celiac disease and PHPT might be tied another unidentified condition. Because most patients with untreated celiac disease have vitamin D and calcium deficiencies, the team expected to find a "constellation of celiac disease and elevated parathyroid hormone levels," but that they did not expect to see a connection between celiac disease with hypercalcemia and PHPT. The team calls for future studies to focus on thoroughly investigating the connection, so that researchers can understand all possible aspects of the link between these two conditions. Source: J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2012

Celiac.com 04/13/2010 - A team of clinicians recently described a case of immune modulation by non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a patient with two primary intestinal T-Cell lymphomas and long-standing celiac disease. F. Mühr-Wilkenshoff, M. Friedrich, H. D. Foss, M. Hummel, M. Zeitz, and S. Daum made up the research team. They are variously affiliated with the Medical Clinic I, Gastroenterology, Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases, and with the Department of Pathology, Charité of the Campus Benjamin Franklin of University Medicine Berlin, Germany. About 20–30% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) are gastrointestinal in nature. Of these gastrointestinal lymphomas, about 20–30% occur in small intestine The clinical team recently reported the case of a 72-year-old patient who had been diagnosed with celiac disease when he was 52-years old. The man had not followed a gluten-free diet, yet showed no evidence of enteropathy or celiac-associated antibodies, but still developed a jejunal T-cell lymphoma. Doctors resected the lymphoma due to perforation and treated the patient with four courses of IMVP-16. The patient began and maintained a strict gluten-free diet. Two years later, the patient appeared with weight loss and a clonally divergent refractory sprue type II with loss of antigen (CD8; T-cell receptor-) expression in intraepithelial lymphocytes. At this time, he showed high titers of celiac-associated antibodies, although he was on a strict GFD. The research team notes that the missing enteropathy under a gluten-containing diet supports the idea of immune suppression in malignant diseases, especially non-Hodgkin lymphoma. They also note that the fact that, even while maintaining a strict gluten-free diet, the patient developed refractory sprue type II, an early form of another independent T-cell lymphoma, along with celiac-associated antibodies, suggests that clonal intraepithelial lymphocytes might be stimulating antibody production. Thus, they conclude that isolated detection of celiac-associated antibodies in patients with celiac disease does not prove that patients have deviated from their gluten-free diets. Source: Digestion 2010;81:231–234 DOI: 10.1159/000269810

Celiac.com 04/10/2007 - Celiac disease is one of the most common chronic health disorders in western countries. Yet, due largely to poor awareness of celiac disease by primary care physicians, most celiac cases in North America go undiagnosed. A recent study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology suggests that the North American diagnostic rate for celiac disease can be improved through the use of active case-finding strategies in the primary care setting. The study set out to determine the most common celiac symptoms faced by clinicians, and to determine how effective an active case-finding strategy might be in raising the levels of diagnosis. The study drew from a large pool of individuals who attended one of three participating North American clinical practices. 737 women and 239 men with symptoms or conditions known to be associated with celiac disease were tested for immunoglobulin A anti-transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies, and those with elevated anti-tTG were then tested for IgA anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA). Those who tested positive for EMA were encouraged to undergo an intestinal biopsy and HLA typing. The median age for those tested was 54.3 years. Of 976 subjects tested, 30 showed a positive anti-tTG test (3.07%, 95% CI 1.98–4.16). 22 patients (18 women, 4 men) were diagnosed with celiac. In these 22 cases, the most frequent reasons for celiac disease screening were bloating (12/22), thyroid disease (11/22), irritable bowel syndrome (7/22), unexplained chronic diarrhea (6/22), chronic fatigue (5/22), and constipation (4/22). The prevalence of celiac disease in the serologically screened sample was 2.25% (95% CI 1.32–3.18). According to the study, active screening implementation substantially increased diagnostic rates from a baseline low of 0.27 cases per thousand visits (95% CI 0.13–0.41), to a rate of 11.6 per thousand visits (95% CI 6.8–16.4, P < 0.001). The study concludes that the implementation of active strategies in primary care settings is likely to improve the diagnostic rate of celiac disease in North America. Am J Gastroenterol 2007; 102:1–7 health writer who lives in San Francisco and is a frequent author of articles for Celiac.com.

The following abstract was submitted to celiac.com directly by William Dickey, Ph.D., a leading celiac disease researcher and gastroenterologist who practices at Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Dig Liver Dis. 2005 Sep 29; Dickey W, McMillan SA. Department of Gastroenterology, Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry BT47 6SB, Northern Ireland, UK. Celiac.com 10/11/2005 - BACKGROUND.: Serological testing, using IgA class endomysial and tissue transglutaminase antibodies has high sensitivity and specificity for celiac disease and allows case finding by clinicians other than gastroenterologists. We reviewed new celiac patients seen over a 9-year period to determine how the availability of serology, particularly to primary care physicians, has changed rates and sources of diagnosis. METHODS.: Files of patients attending a specialist celiac clinic who were diagnosed from 1996 through 2004 were reviewed. Patients with villous atrophy consistent with gluten sensitive enteropathy (Marsh III) on duodenal biopsy were selected. Data analyzed included clinical characteristics, endomysial and tissue transglutaminase antibodies status and source of request for serology. RESULTS.: Over the study period 347 new celiac patients, comprising adults and children aged 10 years and over, were identified, of whom 163 (47%) were identified by serological testing in primary care, 152 (44%) at the hospital gastroenterology department and 32 (9%) by other physicians in secondary care. Over three consecutive 3-year periods, the percentage of patients identified in primary care rose from 28% through 47% to 60%, with a rise in total numbers diagnosed from 93 through 118 to 136. There was no change in patient clinical characteristics over the study period. Though tissue transglutaminase antibodies were less sensitive than endomysial antibodies, combined testing obtained a sensitivity of over 90%. Patients identified in primary care were significantly younger and more likely to present with diarrhea as a primary symptom. CONCLUSION.: Currently over half of our celiac patients are identified by serological testing in primary care, which has resulted in an overall rise in diagnosis rates. Primary care practitioners have an important role in the diagnosis of celiac disease, particularly of patients who present with non-gastrointestinal symptoms. The contribution of specialists other than gastroenterologists in secondary care is disappointing and may improve with directed education.

QJM, May 1, 2003; 96(5): 345 - 353 Celiac.com 05/29/2003 – A survey was recently conducted by Professor P.D. Howdle, St. Jamess University Hospital (UK), et al, to estimate the frequency in the UK of small bowel malignancy, and its relationship to celiac disease. Data were collected from 1,327 clinicians on a monthly basis between June 1998 and May 2000. The clinicians were asked to report all cases of newly diagnosed primary small bowel malignancy, and whether or not the patients reported also had celiac disease. Normally malignancies of the small intestine are rare, and they only account for less than 2% of all gastrointestinal cancers. Results: "Clinico-pathological data were ascertained for 395 cases, including 175 adenocarcinomas, 107 lymphomas and 79 carcinoid tumors. In 13% of adenocarcinoma cases and in 39% of lymphomas, there was a diagnosis of celiac disease. Survival rates at 30 months for adenocarcinomas, lymphomas and carcinoid tumors were 58%, 45% and 78%, respectively. Prognosis of all tumors was inversely related to stage at presentation, and lymphomas associated with celiac disease were associated with a poorer prognosis." This study provides more evidence that those with celiac disease run a greater risk of getting adenocarcinoma of the small bowel, as well as lymphoma. Because of the high rate of metastatic disease in the patients studied, there appears to be a long time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis, which is a concern. Unfortunately this study does not address when celiac disease was diagnosed in these patients, and whether or not they were treating it with a gluten-free diet. Other studies have shown that cancer risk decreases to that of the normal population in patients who are on a gluten-free diet for at least five years.

W. Dickey, S.A. McMillan, D.F. Hughes Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 1998; 33: 491-3 Departments of Gastroenterology and Histopathology, Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry; Regional Immunology Service, Royal Group of Hospitals, Belfast; Northern Ireland, UK Background: Coeliac disease is common yet often undiagnosed because symptoms may be trivial, non-specific, or non-gastrointestinal, or because of lack of clinician awareness. Serum IgA class endomysial antibodies (EmA) have high specificity for coeliac disease and may facilitate case-finding by clinicians other than gastroenterologists. We assessed the appropriateness and diagnostic yield of requests for EmA by primary care general practitioners in a defined geographical area of Northern Ireland. Methods: We identified patients who had EmA requests by their general practitioners during 1994-1996. Individual patient questionnaires were posted to the general practitioners concerned, seeking information on indications for testing, management following the result and final diagnosis. We compared new patient diagnosis rates in two catchment areas, one served by a large district general hospital with a medical gastroenterology facility and the other by smaller hospitals without. Results: A total of 239 patients had coeliac profile testing by 69 of 177 general practitioners in the area. Data were available for 181 patients not previously known to have coeliac disease of whom 20 (11%) had EmA. All EmA +ve patients were referred to hospital where 19 underwent small bowel biopsy, which confirmed coeliac disease in all 19. Only 7 (35%) of the 20 had diarrhea and there was no significant difference in EmA prevalence among patients tested with and without diarrhea. Although the mean number of new patients (per 100,000 population per annum) diagnosed by biopsy was 11 at the large hospital compared with 5 elsewhere, the numbers identified by EmA in general practice for the two catchment areas were similar (2, 3). Conclusion: General practitioners have an important role in the identification of patients with coeliac disease, particularly where there is no local medical gastroenterology facility, which is facilitated by EmA testing.