title: Prevalence of celiac disease in Tunisian blood donors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prevalence of adult celiac disease is unknown in Tunisia. Symptomatic forms are less frequent than silent forms, which, according to recent serological screening in Europe and the United States, have an estimated prevalence of 1/100 to 1/500. We aimed to determine the prevalence of celiac disease in healthy blood donors in Tunisia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between November 2002 and March 2004, 1 418 sera from blood donors were tested for IgA anti-endomysium antibodies (EMA) by indirect immuno-fluorescence on monkey esophagus cryosections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample population included 1090 men and 328 women: mean age 29 and 26 years respectively. Three sera from two men and one woman were positive for IgA EMA. ELISA search for anti-tissue tranglutaminase antibodies (ATG) in these three sera was positive in two. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with proximal intestinal biopsies was performed in the three patients. Subtotal or total villous atrophy was observed in the two ATG-positive patients, confirming the diagnosis of celiac disease. In the third patient, histologic examination did not show any abnormality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adult celiac disease is considered relatively rare in Tunisia. In fact, our study revealed a prevalence of about 1/700 among blood donors.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, CHU Fattouma Bourguiba, Monastir, Tunisie. fethia.saffar@rns.tn
authors.forename: Fethia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bdioui
authors.forename: Nabil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakly
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hassine
authors.forename: Hamouda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saffar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A