title: Prevalence of coeliac disease in healthy blood donors: a study from north India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Blood donor screening can help predict prevalence of coeliac disease in population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between December 2010 and June 2011, healthy blood donors were screened using anti-tissue glutaminase antibodies. Those positive underwent duodenoscopy. Their age, gender, body mass index and haemoglobin and histological changes were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1610 blood donors screened, 1581 (98.2%) were males. The mean age of donors was 31.51 ± 9.66 years and the mean body mass index was 22.12 ± 4.24 kg/m(2). Nine (0.56%) men were seropositive. Endoscopic features included reduced fold height (9), scalloping (8), grooving (7) and mosaic mucosal pattern (3). Eight had Marsh IIIa changes whilst one had IIIb change. The prevalence of coeliac disease was 1:179 (0.56%, 95% confidence interval 1/366-1/91, 0.27-1.1%). None of the 9 patients had any symptoms. Their mean haemoglobin and body-mass index was similar to rest of the cohort.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of coeliac disease amongst apparently healthy blood donors was 1:179 (0.56%).
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. dr kochhar@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kochhar
authors.forename: Suchet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sachdev
authors.forename: Rashi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kochhar
authors.forename: Aakash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Kaushal K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: Gurpreet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Chander K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Nain
authors.forename: Kartar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Neelam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marwaha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D004386:Duodenum / Q000473:pathology; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005972:Glutaminase / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D005972:Glutaminase