Clinico-Histopathological Characteristics of Adult Patients with Celiac Disease; A Retrospective Study in Southeast Iran

Celiac disease (CeD) is a permanent immune-mediated enteropathy triggered by gluten. Patients with CeD have various clinical features. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical, laboratory, and histopathological features of 150 patients with CeD in Zahedan, Southeast Iran.

In a retrospective cross-sectional study, we investigated the characteristics of 150 patients with celiac in Zahedan from 2008 to 2018. In addition to the demographic characteristics of the patients, other parameters such as clinical symptoms, comorbidities, serum level of anti-tissue transglutaminase (IgA-TTG), liver function tests, and report of the intestinal biopsy were obtained from patients’ recorded files. Descriptive statistics were used for the collected data.

150 patients were included in the study. 72 (48%) were males, and 78 (52%) were females. The mean (±SD) age was 28.5 (±10.69) years (range 16-82 years). The most frequent symptom was abdominal pain (38%), followed by diarrhea (32%) and nausea (30%). Iron-deficiency anemia was found in 30% of patients. Immunoglobulin A, and anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (IgA anti-TTG) were found in 144 (96%) patients. The results of the biopsy showed 76% with Marsh I, 10% with Marsh II, and 52% with Marsh III histological changes according to the Marsh classification.

Most of our patients with CeD were oligo-symptomatic forms. It is essential for healthcare professionals to have the clinical features of patients diagnosed with CeD in their area.