Unnoticed celiac disease worth treating
People with antibodies but no symptoms are better off avoiding gluten
By Nathan Seppa
CHICAGO — Patients who have a silent form of celiac disease can reverse intestinal damage and feel better overall by taking a preemptive approach, researchers in Finland have found. People diagnosed with the digestive ailment through a blood test benefitted from avoiding grains containing gluten, suggesting this approach could benefit thousands of undiagnosed celiac patients, the scientists reported May 8 at Digestive Disease Week, a scientific meeting.
Celiac disease is a lifelong inherited disorder in which the body’s immune system makes antibodies that react to gluten protein in wheat, rye and barley. Three molecular fragments in gluten have been identified as suspected antibody targets (SN: 8/14/10, p. 8). The small intestine suffers from this misguided attack, and celiac patients can experience bloating, diarrhea, constipation, lethargy and poor nutrition as they lose some ability to absorb nutrients through the damaged walls of the small intestine.
But many people don’t have such clear symptoms, said gastroenterologist Katri Kaukinen of the University of Tampere. Even undetected the disease can have health effects: It has been linked to poor educational achievement and failure to thrive in children, apparently due to nutrient loss. In adulthood, undetected celiac disease is associated with a risk of fractures, poor dental enamel, short stature, pregnancy difficulties and skin problems.
Kaukinen and her colleagues tested 3,031 people who appeared healthy but had a family member with celiac disease, also called sprue. Forty of these people carried antibodies against gluten protein.