Clinical features of 85 patients with seropositive coeliac disease and 48 patients with seronegative coeliac disease at the baseline and after 1 year of gluten-free diet
| Features | Seropositive coeliac disease | Seronegative coeliac disease, basal (free diet) | Seronegative coeliac disease, after 1 year of gluten-free diet |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients | 85 | 48 | 40 |
| Men/women | 16/69 | 8/40 | 6/34 |
| Median age (range), years | 35 (16–74) | 36 (18–76) | 36 (22–69) |
| Clinical signs and symptoms | |||
| Abdominal pain | 65 (76%) | 44 (92%) | 4 (10%)** |
| Diarrhoea | 62 (73%) | 36 (75%) | 3 (7%)** |
| Alternating bowel movements | 21 (25%) | 8 (17%) | 0 (0%)** |
| Familiarity for coeliac disease | 32 (37%) | 8 (17%)* | – |
| Laboratory tests | |||
| Haemoglobin | 12.4±1.6 | 12.7±1.3 | – |
| Haemoglobin <12 mg/dL | 45 (53%) | 5 (10%)** | 0 (0.0%)* |
| Mean corpuscular volume <80 fL | – | 6 (12%) | 1 (2.0%)* |
| Mean corpuscular haemoglobin <27 ng/mL | – | 4 (8%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Lipase >30 U/L | 83 (86%) | 3 (6%)** | 0 (0.0%) |
| Amylase >120 U/L | 3 (3%) | 4 (8%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| AST/ALT | 6 (7%) | 3 (6%) | 1 (2.0%) |
| Ferritin mg/dL | 30.0±37.0 | 17.5 – 24.1 | – |
| Ferritin <50 mg/dL | 68 (80%) | 11 (23%)** | 8 (20%) |
| Vitamin B12 | 389.1±203.7 | 285.2±282.4 | 324.1±180.7 |
| Vitamin B12 <200 ng/mL | 13 (15%) | 3 (6%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Folate <7 ng/mL | 32 (38%) | 7 (15%) | 1 (2.0%)* |
| Calcium <9 mg/dL | – | 0 (0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Blood glucose, mg/dL | 88.2±9.9 | – | – |
| Blood glucose <100 mg/dL | – | 1 (2%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Albumin, g/L | 53.7±4.1 | 46.3±19.1 | – |
| Albumin <35 g/L | 0 (0%) | 3 (6%) | – |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 171.1±32.2 | 169.4±34.3 | – |
| Total cholesterol <200 mg//dL | 69 (81%)) | 37 (77%) | – |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 65.1±34.2 | 66.5±35.9 | – |
| Triglycerides <150 mg/dL | 83 (97%) | 45 (94%) | – |
| Breath testing | |||
| Lactose malabsorption | 77 (91%) | 30 (63%) | – |
| Histology | |||
| Marsh 0 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 13 (33%)** |
| Marsh I | 19 (22%) | 20 (42%)* | 25 (63%) |
| Marsh II | 28 (33%) | 13 (27%) | 1 (2%)** |
| Marsh III | 38 (45%) | 15 (31%) | 1 (2%)** |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Dermatitis | 15 (18%) | 6 (12.5%) | 0 (0%) |
| Diabetes | 3 (3%) | 1 (2%) | 1 (2.5%) |
| Thyroiditis | 14 (16%) | 5 (10%) | 5 (10%) |
| Osteopenia/osteoporosis | 29 (34%) | 21 (44%) | 5 (12.5%) |
| Mild depression | 8 (9%) | 13 (27%) | 3 (6%) |
*p<0.05; **p<0.01. AST/ALT, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase.