title: The prevalence of coeliac disease at endoscopy units in Romania: routine biopsies during gastroscopy are mandatory (a multicentre study).
abstract: The incidence and prevalence of coeliac disease vary internationally. In Eastern Europe little is known about the prevalence of coeliac disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the clinical features of coeliac disease in adults biopsied during upper endoscopy in Romania. This is the first incidence study of the coeliac disease in Romania.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was initiated by the Romanian Society of Digestive Endoscopy for the period 1 January 2002 - 31 May 2002. It was carried out in 9 Academic Centres in Romania, which ensured an even geographical distribution and therefore significant statistical results at a national level. The study included 2436 patients according to following criteria: age over 16 years, with no known history of coeliac disease, visiting the participating upper endoscopy units or patients with documented coeliac disease presenting for follow-up check or recurrence of clinical symptoms. At least two bioptic samples were obtained from the distal duodenum, as distally as possible, which were submitted to histopathological examination and scored according to the modified UEGW Marsh criteria (2001). A database was set up to include all the patients with data regarding sex, age, urban or rural background, full clinical diagnosis, clinical symptoms, history of the coeliac disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 2436 patients studied, 54 (2.22%) were diagnosed with coeliac disease. Their demographic features: 48.15% men, 51.85% women, 68.52% living in urban areas, 31.48% in rural ones, mean age 42 +/-17.0 years. The most frequent reasons for performing upper digestive endoscopy were: dyspeptic syndrome - 15.93%, anemia - 24.07%, and chronic diarrhoea - 22.22%. The most frequently recorded clinical manifestations were: chronic diarrhoea in 46.3%, asthenia in 29.63%, anemia in 24.07%, aphthae in 24.07%. Histopathological results according to Marsh classification were: Marsh III- 64.81 %, Marsh II-35.19%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of the coeliac disease in Romania is 2.22%: its sex distribution is fairly equal, the age distribution includes two peaks, at 30-40 and 50-60 years respectively, and patients from urban areas predominate. The most frequent (over 50% of the cases) histological type was M III. The most common clinical symptoms were diarrhoea, asthenia, anemia, aphthae, while the most frequent associated diseases were diabetes mellitus and Duhring-Brocq dermatiti
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tg Mureş, Str Gh Marinescu no.1, 4300 Tg. Mureş, Romania.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dobru
authors.forename: Oliviu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pascu
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanţă
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gheorghe
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldiş
authors.forename: Gheorghe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bălan
authors.forename: Ilie
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Olteanu
authors.forename: Alexandru
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fraticiu
authors.forename: Eugen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dumitru
authors.forename: Eftimie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miuţescu
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Podoleanu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001706:Biopsy; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution