Gluten-sensitive enteropathy: genetic analysis and organ culture study in 35 families

The genetic marker histocompatibility antigen HLA-B8 is present in 80% of patients with gluten-sensitive enteropathy (GSE). We studied 35 families with at least one affected member to determine whether an HLA-region gene alone could determine susceptibility to GSE. The incidence of HLA-B8 in the patients was 69% vs 22% for normals (P less than 0.001). The incidence of GSE in HLA-genotype-identical siblings of patients was only 8%, and in HLA-B8-haplotype-identical siblings and parents of patients was only 14% and 5%, respectively. In addition, intestinal biopsies of HLA-identical or partially identical relatives of patients were studied in an in vitro organ culture system capable of detecting gluten sensitivity in subjects ingesting a normal diet. The results confirmed the low incidence of gluten sensitivity in these individuals. The organ culture system could not differentiate mucosa obtained from unaffected parents or siblings of patients with GSE (who presumably carry the HLA-associated genetic information) from mucosa obtained from normals. We conclude that the genetic material inherited with HLA-B8 alone is not sufficient to produce clinical or subclinical disease. Other genetic and environmental factors appear to be important for disease pathogenesis.