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Immunological biomarkers at birth and later risk of celiac disease

Maria Ulnes1,2, Veroniqa Lundbäck3,4, Susanne Lindgren5,6,7

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. mariaulnes@gmail.com.

BMC Gastroenterology
|March 12, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Newborn immune cell profiles, including T- and B-cell markers, do not predict the risk of developing childhood celiac disease (CD). This study found no associations between early immune cell measurements and later CD diagnosis.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The link between infant immune cell composition and the subsequent development of celiac disease (CD) is not well understood.
  • Investigating early immune markers may offer insights into CD pathogenesis and risk prediction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between T-cell and B-cell profiles at birth and the risk of developing pediatric celiac disease.
  • To determine if neonatal immune cell markers can predict susceptibility to CD.

Main Methods:

  • A regional cohort study analyzed dried blood spots from 158 children diagnosed with CD and 316 matched controls.
  • T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and kappa-deleting recombination excision circles (KRECs) were quantified to assess thymic and bone marrow output at birth.
  • Epigenetic cell counting estimated lymphocyte subsets, including T cells, B cells, and NK cells.

Main Results:

  • No significant associations were found between measured immune cell markers at birth and the development of CD (p > 0.26).
  • Median TREC and KREC levels, as well as percentages of T and B cells, were similar between children with CD and controls.
  • These findings remained consistent across different strata, including sex, HLA type, and age at diagnosis.

Conclusions:

  • Neonatal immune cell profiles, assessed by genetic and epigenetic markers for T and B cells, do not influence susceptibility to childhood-onset celiac disease.
  • Early immune cell composition at birth does not appear to be a predictive factor for developing CD later in childhood.
Abstract

Keywords:
Celiac diseaseDried blood spotsEpigenetic cell countingKRECNewbornTREC

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