The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the natural history of gluten sensitivity in endomysial antibody positive adults with celiac disease suspicion, who were found to have a only mild enteropathy (Marsh I-II) in the small-bowel mucosa. The investigators hypothesize that these subject are indeed gluten-sensitive, as measured by clinical, serological and histological indicators. If this would be the case, the current diagnostic criteria for celiac disease might need re-evaluation.
The current diagnostic criteria of celiac disease require small-bowel mucosal villous atrophy with crypt hyperplasia (Marsh III). However, the mucosal damage develops gradually and the patients may have clinical symptoms and endomysial antibodies before the development of villous atrophy. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the natural history of gluten sensitivity in endomysial antibody positive adults with celiac disease suspicion, who were found to have a only mild enteropathy (Marsh I-II) in the small-bowel mucosa. We hypothesize that these subject are indeed gluten-sensitive, as measured by clinical, serological and histological indicators. If this would be the case, the current diagnostic criteria for celiac disease might need re-evaluation.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
73
Gluten containing foods removed from diet
University of Tampere
Tampere, Finland
Small-Bowel mucosal morphology
Time frame: one year
Endomysial antibodies, tissue transglutaminase antibodies, Small-Bowel mucosal inflammation, clinical symptoms, laboratory parameters, bone mineral density.
Time frame: One year
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