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Celiac disease in Chilean adults
C von Mühlenbrock-Pinto1, A M Madrid-Silva2
1Internista, Gastroenterólogo, Clínica Universidad de los Andes, Profesor Asistente, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidad de los Andes, Chile; Sección Gastroenterología, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile, Chile.
Insights
This study characterizes adult celiac disease patients in Chile, revealing it predominantly affects women and often presents with extraintestinal symptoms and associated autoimmune conditions. Many patients were also found to be overweight or obese.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Internal Medicine
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Celiac disease is a complex autoimmune disorder.
- Characterizing patient demographics and clinical presentations is crucial for understanding disease prevalence and management.
- Previous studies have focused on pediatric populations or specific symptom clusters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of adult celiac disease patients at a Chilean university hospital.
- To identify common presenting symptoms, comorbidities, and diagnostic findings in this population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for adult patients diagnosed with celiac disease.
- Inclusion based on clinical presentation, serology, and histology.
- Data collected included demographics, BMI, presenting symptoms, laboratory results, associated conditions, and histological findings.
Main Results:
- 149 adult patients were analyzed, with a predominance of women (79.9%).
- Mean age at diagnosis was 42 years; common symptoms included diarrhea, dyspepsia, weight loss, and fatigue.
- Associated conditions included hypothyroidism and depressive disorder; 37.9% were overweight or obese.
Conclusions:
- Chilean adult celiac disease patients share similarities with international cohorts, particularly in female predominance and onset in the fourth decade.
- Extraintestinal manifestations and autoimmune comorbidities are common.
- A significant proportion of patients present with overweight or obesity, highlighting the need for comprehensive patient assessment.
Introduction And Aim:
To characterize a university hospital population of Chilean adult patients with celiac disease.
Patients And Method:
We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients under control that were diagnosed with celiac disease through clinical characteristics, serology, and histology.
Results:
A total of 149 patients were included, 119 (79.9%) of whom were women. Mean patient age was 42 years at diagnosis and 13.4% of patients had a family history of celiac disease. Mean body mass index was 24.3kg/m2, 55.3% presented with normal weight, 37.9% with overweight and obesity, and 6.8% with underweight. The main reasons for consultation were diarrhea (47%), weight loss (31%), dyspepsia (43%), and fatigue (26.1%). Anemia (26.1%), elevated transaminases (17.4%), low ferritin (11.4%), and hypovitaminosis D (9.3%) stood out, among others, in the initial laboratory work-up. The more frequent associated diseases were hypothyroidism (15.4%) and depressive disorder (11.4%). Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth was found in 10.1% and lactose malabsorption in 15.4%. The primary histologic diagnosis was celiac disease, with Marsh stage 3a villous atrophy (34.9%).
Conclusion:
Our results were similar to those of other case series on adults, finding that celiac disease was more frequent in women, disease began in the fourth decade of life, extraintestinal symptoms predominated, and there was an association with other autoimmune diseases. An important percentage of patients were also overweight and obese.
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