Celiac disease prevalence in Brazilian dilated cardiomyopathy patients.

Authors :: De Bem RS
Da Ro Sa Utiyama SR
Nisihara RM
Fortunato JA
Tondo JA
Carmes ER
Souza RA
Pisani JC
Amarante HM
Source :: Digestive diseases and sciences [Dig Dis Sci] 2006 May; Vol. 51 (5), pp. 1016-9. Date of Electronic Publication: 2006 Jun 07.
Publication Year :: 2006
Abstract: Celiac disease (CD) is a permanent condition of gluten intolerance and a number of autoimmune diseases have been associated with it. In the past few years, a relation between CD and dilated cardiomyopathy (CM) was described in Europe and United States. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of CD among south Brazilian precardiac transplant patients with advanced CM. A total of 74 patients on a list for heart transplantation were evaluated for the presence CD. The presence of anti-endomisial antibody (IgA-EmA) was determined by indirect immunofluorescence and for the anti-transglutaminase antibody (IgA anti-h-tTG) by ELISA. Serologically positive patients were submitted to upper endoscopy with intestinal biopsy. Two individuals (2.63%) were positive for IgA-EmA and 5 (6.75%) for IgA anti-h-tTG; 1 (1.35%) had both tests positive. Histologic confirmation of CD occurred only in the IgA-EmA positive patients. In conclusion, data from the present study allows recommend the screening for CD in patients with CM using IgA-EmA test as the method of choice.