title: European multi-centre study on coeliac disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Coeliac disease (CD) is associated with an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but there is little information about whether this is true for clinically silent CD.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the frequency of CD in two European populations; one with NHL and another derived from the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, multi-centre, case-control study in 10 European countries was conducted between May 1998 and April 2001. A total of 1446 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed NHL aged over 18 years was collected. The control group consisted of a population of 9676 individuals who were screened for CD. The number of patients with a previous diagnosis of CD and those with silent CD detected by screening were determined in the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients with CD had a significantly increased risk of developing NHL [odds ratio (OR) 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-4.9]. This risk was only present in patients with CD diagnosed clinically before the study (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4-7.9), but not in those with silent CD detected by screening (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.6-2.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with CD have an increased risk of developing NHL, although this is lower than previously thought. Clinically silent CD is rare in patients with NHL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. m.l.mearin_manrique@lumc.nl
authors.forename: M Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mearin
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catassi
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brousse
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Collin
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fabiani
authors.forename: Joachim J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Schweizer
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abuzakouk
authors.forename: Hania
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Szajewska
authors.forename: Claes
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hallert
authors.forename: Carme
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Farré Masip
authors.forename: Geoffrey K T
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Holmes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged