Idiopathic chronic urticaria and celiac disease.
Idiopathic chronic urticaria (ICU) is a chronic relapsing cutaneous disease. Some case reports or studies on small series of celiac disease (CD) patients have suggested a possible association between CD and ICU. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of CD in a population of adults ICU patients with respect to healthy controls. We consecutively enrolled 80 patients affected by ICU and 264 blood donors as the control population without a history of ICU. Serum anti-transglutaminase IgG and anti-endomysium IgA antibodies were evaluated in all subjects. In the case of positivity to serology, diagnosis was confirmed by duodenal biopsy. One of 80 (1.25%) ICU patients were positive to both anti-transglutaminase and anti-endomysium antibodies. Duodenal biopsy showed partial villous atrophy. One control of 264 (0.38%) had CD. No statistical difference was found in the prevalence of CD between the two groups. ICU patients do not seem to bear a greater risk for CD compared to the general population.
Gabrielli
Maurizio
M
Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Candelli
Marcello
M
Cremonini
Filippo
F
Ojetti
Veronica
V
Santarelli
Luca
L
Nista
Enrico C
EC
Nucera
Eleonora
E
Schiavino
Domenico
D
Patriarca
Giampiero
G
Gasbarrini
Giovanni
G
Pola
Paolo
P
Gasbarrini
Antonio
A
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014581:Urticaria / Q000150:complications*