Many with nonceliac wheat sensitivity have autoimmune diseases

(HealthDay)—More patients with nonceliac wheat sensitivity (NCWS) and celiac disease (CD) than irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) develop autoimmune diseases (ADs), according to a study published in the September issue of Gastroenterology.

Antonio Carroccio, M.D., from the University of Palermo in Italy, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of 131 patients with NCWS and 151 control patients with CD and IBS to examine the prevalence of AD and antinuclear antibodies (ANA). A prospective study was conducted involving 42 patients with NCWS and 100 age- and sex-matched controls with CD or IBS.

The researchers found that 29 percent of patients with NCWS and CD developed ADs (mainly Hashimoto's thyroiditis) compared to 4 percent of patients with IBS (P < 0.001). In the prospective study, 24, 20, and 2 percent, respectively, developed ADs (P < 0.001). Serum samples tested positive for ANA in 46, 24, and 2 percent of samples with NCWS, CD, and IBS, respectively (P < 0.001 for CD and IBS versus NCWS), in the retrospective study. The corresponding values in the prospective study were 28, 7.5, and 6 percent (P = 0.02 for CD and P = 0.005 for IBS versus NCWS).

"Higher proportions of patients with NCWS or CD develop autoimmune disorders, are ANA positive, and showed DQ2/DQ8 haplotypes compared with patients with IBS," the authors write.

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