title: Coeliac disease in irritable bowel syndrome (Rome III) in Southeast Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder and coeliac disease (CD) is an auto-immune enteropathy that can mimic almost any functional GI disorder. Both IBS and coeliac disease share common symptoms. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of CD in patients with IBS and its sub-types.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study (2008-2010), all consecutive patients with IBS who fulfilled the Rome III criteria attending the GI units in Zahedan (Southeast Iran) were included. Patients based on the sub-type of IBS were classified as diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS), constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (C-IBS) and alternating symptoms (mixed type). Immunoglobulin A (IgA) tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) was used to screen patients for CD. In the case of positive serologic test, duodenal biopsies were taken to confirm the diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 364 (221 females and 143 males) patients with IBS were included. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of patients was 37.4 ± 12.4 years. Twenty (5.5%) patients were found to have positive IgA anti-tTG. Main symptoms of patients were diarrhoea (11/20), bloating (10/20) and abdominal distension (6/20). Thirteen (10.5%) patients were found to have positive IgA anti-tTG among the D-IBS, two (1.6%) in the C-IBS and five (4.2%) in M-IBS groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of CD in IBS is high. IBS subjects whose main complaint is diarrhoea, bloating or even abdominal distension should be evaluated for CD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Sistan and Balouchestan Province, Iran. arbakhshipour@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bakhshipour
authors.forename: Seyyed Kazem
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Nezam
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zakeri
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gharibi
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bahari
authors.forename: Mahmoud Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kaykhaei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence