[Clinico-histological behavior of celiac patients after gluten load following the definitive diagnosis]

Abstract

In the last 18 years we have followed 330 children with Coeliac Disease (CD), diagnosed according to the ESPGAN criteria (with 3 jejunal biopsies: during the acute phase, after a gluten-free diet and after a gluten challenge). One to fifteen years after the diagnosis, 61 of them asked to be exposed to a second gluten challenge to see if their intolerance was persistent. Ten percent of them had already started the challenge by themselves, the others were on Gluten Free Diet (GFD). To all 61 serial clinical controls, one-hour-blood-xylose absorption test every three months and a jejunal biopsy was suggested. The jejunal biopsy was performed when symptoms recurred, or when xylose-test showed an impaired absorption, or after 2 years. If the first jejunal biopsy showed a villous atrophy the GFD was restarted, while if a normal mucosa was found the gluten challenge was continued and the jejunal biopsy repeated every year. 52 children (85%) showed a villous atrophy after 1.5 to 72 months. 6 (10%) did not show a clinical or histological relapse, 2 refused the jejunal biopsy because symptomless, and 1 had to restart the GFD because she developed a dermatitis herpetiformis. One-hour-blood-xylose test was performed in 29 children and 20 (69%) showed a low absorbtion, the majority of them in the first year of challenge, and the remaining refused it. 36 of the relapsed children presented with mild clinical symptoms while 16 were symptomless.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)