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. 2020 Apr 4;56(4):163.
doi: 10.3390/medicina56040163.

Prevalence of Adverse Reactions to Gluten and People Going on a Gluten-Free Diet: A Survey Study Conducted in Brazil

Jesús Gilberto Arámburo-Gálvez  1 , Carlos Eduardo Beltrán-Cárdenas  2 , Tatiane Geralda André  3 , Itallo Carvalho Gomes  3 , María Auxiliadora Macêdo-Callou  4 , Élida Mara Braga-Rocha  4 , Elaine Aparecida Mye-Takamatu-Watanabe  5 , Vivian Rahmeier-Fietz  5 , Oscar Gerardo Figueroa-Salcido  1 , Marcela de Jesus Vergara-Jiménez  2 , Lilian Karem Flores-Mendoza  6 , Noé Ontiveros  6 , Francisco Cabrera-Chávez  2
Affiliations

Prevalence of Adverse Reactions to Gluten and People Going on a Gluten-Free Diet: A Survey Study Conducted in Brazil

Jesús Gilberto Arámburo-Gálvez et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of gluten-related disorders (GRD) and adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) remains unknown in Brazilian population and there is no published information on the scientific literature about the proportion of Brazilians that were diagnosed with a gluten-related disorder. Thus, the aim of this work was to estimate the prevalence of GRDs and adherence to a GFD by self-report in adult Brazilian population.

Materials and methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted in two Brazilian cities.

Results: The response rate was 93.2% (1630/1749). The self-reported prevalence rates were (95% CI): adverse reactions to gluten 10.06% (8.64-11.62); gluten sensitivity 2.33% (1.65-3.18); physician-diagnosed celiac disease 0.3% (0.09-0.71); non-celiac gluten sensitivity 1.71% (1.14-2.47); wheat allergy 0.79% (0.42-1.36); adherence to gluten-free diet 7.48% (6.25-8.87); gluten avoiders 15.21% (13.5-17.05). Among those who were following a GFD (n = 122), 65.6% (n = 80) of them reported that they did not develop symptoms after wheat/gluten ingestion and 50% (n = 61) were following the diet without medical/dietitian advice. The main motivation for following a GFD in the self-reported and non-self-reported gluten sensitivity groups were the symptoms triggered after wheat/gluten ingestion (86.8%) and weight control (57.1%), respectively.

Conclusions: Implementation of programs to increase awareness about GRDs among healthcare professionals and giving scientifically sound information to the general population about the risks and benefits for following a GFD are desirable actions in Brazil. The results also add to the growing body of evidence for highlighting the under-diagnosis of GRD and the trend for following a GFD in Latin America.

Keywords: NCGS; celiac disease; gluten-free diet; gluten-related disorders; self-report; survey studies; wheat allergy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Definitions and prevalence rates estimations of adverse reactions to food and disorders triggered by wheat/gluten.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Individuals on a gluten-free diet (GFD) and wheat/gluten avoiders. (A) Characteristics of individuals following a GFD. (B) Adherence to a GFD and wheat/gluten avoiders stratified by age (Black bars: 18–38 years old, Grey bars: ≥39 years old).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Recurrent self-reported gastrointestinal (part (A)) and extra-intestinal (part (B)) symptoms in self-reported gluten sensitivity (SR-GS) individuals.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Motivations of SR-GS, and non-SR-GS cases for following a GFD (parts (A) and (B)) or avoiding wheat/gluten from their diets (part (C)).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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