"Bread madness" revisited: screening for specific celiac antibodies among schizophrenia patients.
OBJECTIVE
A possible association between gluten consumption and schizophrenia has been reported. The objective was to compare patients with chronic schizophrenia and matched controls for sociodemographic variables, prevalence of celiac-specific anti-endomysial antibodies and disease-related variables.


METHODS
The study group was comprised of 50 consecutive patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, 18 years of age and older attending the out-patient clinic of the Mental Health Center in Beer-Sheva, Israel. The control group was comprised of mentally normal volunteers who came to primary care clinics for blood tests unrelated to gastrointestinal tract complaints and who were not diagnosed with celiac disease. Known celiac patients and those who refused to participate, did non-speak Hebrew or were incoherent were excluded from the study. All participants in both groups underwent a blood test for anti-endomysial IgA antibody and completed a questionnaire.


RESULTS
Each group was comprised of 50 participants. There were no significant differences between the groups in gender, BMI or country of birth. The mean age of the study group was significantly higher than the controls. All tests for anti-endomysial antibody in both groups were negative.


CONCLUSIONS
In contrast to previous reports, we found no evidence for celiac disease in patients with chronic schizophrenia as manifested by the presence of serum IgA anti-endomysial antibodies. It is unlikely that there is an association between gluten sensitivity and schizophrenia.
Department of Family Medicine, Sial Research Center for Family Medicine and Primary Care, Division of Community Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. pelegr@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
Roni
R
Peleg
Z Itzhak
ZI
Ben-Zion
Aya
A
Peleg
Larisa
L
Gheber
Moshe
M
Kotler
Zvi
Z
Weizman
Asher
A
Shiber
Alex
A
Fich
Yael
Y
Horowitz
Pesach
P
Shvartzman
D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005983:Glutens / Q000276:immunology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D005983:Glutens