title: Coeliac disease.
abstract: Coeliac disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the small bowel induced in genetically susceptible people by the irritant gluten and possibly other environmental cofactors. The disorder is characterised by a diverse clinical heterogeneity that ranges from asymptomatic to severely symptomatic, and it manifests with frank malabsorption, an increased morbidity attributable to the frequent association with autoimmune disorders and increased mortality resulting from the emergence of T-cell clonal proliferations that predispose the patient to enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma. Our understanding of the molecular basis for this disorder has improved and enabled the identification of targets for new therapies, although a strict gluten-free diet remains the mainstay of safe and effective treatment. In this Seminar we critically reassess the clinical and diagnostic aspects of this disease and new perspectives in its pathogenesis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Centro per lo Studio e la Cura della Malattia Celiaca, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Sabatino
authors.forename: Gino Roberto
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Corazza
mesh_terms: D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005983:Glutens / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000502:physiology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D005983:Glutens