[Celiac disease: descriptive study at the Anglo American clinic]

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Immunology
• Internal Medicine

Background:

• Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, leading to intestinal damage and malabsorption.
• While globally prevalent at ~1%, its incidence in our country remains unquantified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of celiac disease in patients presenting with relevant symptoms.
• To evaluate diagnostic methods and histological findings in a cohort of suspected celiac disease patients.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study analyzed 39 adult patients with positive anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-TTG) antibody tests.
• Data included medical charts, upper GI endoscopy, and duodenal biopsy reports from September 2004 to February 2012.

Main Results:

• The study included 39 patients (66.7% female), with a mean age of 61.25 years.
• Common symptoms were chronic diarrhea (82.1%), abdominal pain (56.4%), and abdominal distention (35.9%). Anemia was present in 20.5% of patients.
• Duodenal biopsies revealed Marsh classifications III A (51.3%) and III B (30.8%) as the most frequent findings, indicating significant villous atrophy.

Conclusions:

• Celiac disease should be a key differential diagnosis for non-specific chronic gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms.
• Anti-TTG antibody testing is recommended as the initial diagnostic step, followed by duodenal biopsy for confirmation and staging.