Brief Article
Copyright ©2009 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2009; 15(42): 5321-5325
Published online Nov 14, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.5321
Celiac disease in patients with presumed irritable bowel syndrome: A case-finding study
Khaled Ali Jadallah, Yousef Saleh Khader
Khaled Ali Jadallah, Department of Internal Medicine, King Abdullah University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
Yousef Saleh Khader, Department of Community Medicine, Public Health, and Family Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
Author contributions: Jadallah KA conceived the design of the study, recruited the patients, drafted the article and contributed to its final revision; Khader YS made a major contribution to the design of the study, performed the statistical analysis of data and critically reviewed the final draft of the article.
Correspondence to: Khaled Ali Jadallah, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, King Abdullah University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan. khaled-j@just.edu.jo
Telephone: +962-2-7200600-40711 Fax: +962-2-7200624
Received: July 10, 2009
Revised: September 2, 2009
Accepted: September 9, 2009
Published online: November 14, 2009
Abstract

AIM: To estimate the prevalence of celiac disease (CD) in adult patients with presumed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

METHODS: Between March 2005 and December 2008, 742 consecutive patients (293 male, median age 43 years, range 18-69 years) fulfilling the Rome II criteria for IBS were prospectively enrolled in the study. IBS was diagnosed via self-completed Rome II modular questionnaires. Anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) serology was checked to initially recognize possible CD cases. Patients with a positive test were offered endoscopic duodenal biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of CD.

RESULTS: Thirty two patients (15 male, median age 41 years, range 19-59 years) were found to have organic diseases other than CD. Twenty four patients tested positive for anti-tTG antibodies, and duodenal biopsies confirmed the diagnosis in all of them. Thus, in this patient population with presumed IBS, 3.23% actually had CD.

CONCLUSION: CD is common in patients with presumed IBS. Routine screening for CD in patients with symptoms of IBS is recommended.

Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome; Celiac disease; Anti-tissue transglutaminase; Case-finding; Screening