Coeliac disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy, sprue) is a chrocic disorder of the small bowel leading to malabsorption.
Aims: charts of all patients with coeliac disease treated at the 2nd Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University were evaluated.
Patients and methods: The authors retrospectively analysed the results of a total of 132 patients with coeliac disease (107 females and 25 males; mean age, 37 years; median, 35 years; range, 19-78 years) attending the centre between 1999 and 2010. The authors routinely performed the following investigations in patients with suspected coeliac disease: multiple biopsies taken from the duodenum, tissue transglutaminase antibody or endomysial antibody based serology, body mass index calculation, osteodensitometry, evaluation of disorders associated with coeliac disease, family history for coeliac disease, and implementation of family-screening for coeliac disease given the agreement of the index patients.
Results: Histological samples were available in 101 cases, and distributions of data according to the Marsh-classification were as follows: negative in 9%, M3a in 27%, M3b in 18%, and M3c in 46% of cases, respectively. Serological results were available in 117 cases. 93/117 (79%) showed seropositivity. Body mass index was calculated for 95 patients, and the mean value for males was 22.4 kg/m² (range, 17-30.3 kg/m²), whereas the mean value for females was 20.7 kg/m² (range, 15.2-30.4 kg/m²). Osteodensitometry was performed in 90 patients; 45 patients (50%) proved normal, 31 (34%) had osteopenia, and 15 (26%) had osteoporosis. Coeliac disease associated disorders were present in 45/132 patients (34%; 6 males). Associated disorders were as follows: 15 dermatitis herpetiformis Duhring, 15 thyroid diseases (5 hypo- and 10 hyperthyroidism), 6 Crohn's disease, 3 selective IgA-deficiency, 2 endometrioses, 1 systemic lupus erythematosus, 1 myasthenia gravis, and 1 type-1 diabetes mellitus. Sixty-four of the 132 index patients brought 133 first-degree relatives for family screening (serology), where 26/133 (19.5%; 17 females) first-degree relatives proved to suffer from coeliac disease.
Conclusions: The age distribution of this cohort demonstrates that coeliac disease can present at any age. Similarly to those of other coeliac disease centres, female predominance is significant. Histology usually showed advanced villous atrophy. Serological results were usually in conjunction with the histological results and proved to be useful for monitoring dietary compliance and for accomplishing family screening. The mean body mass index values were in the normal range confirming that adult patients with coeliac disease are usually not malnourished. The 20% prevalence of coeliac disease among first-degree relatives underlines the necessity of family screening.