Celiac disease (CD) is a common autoimmune disease affecting around 1% of the population. It consists of an immune-mediated enteropathy, triggered by gluten exposure in susceptible patients. All patients with CD, irrespective of the presence of symptoms, must endure a lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD). This is not an easy task due to a lack of awareness of the gluten content in foods and the extensive incorporation of gluten in processed foods. Furthermore, a GFD imposes a sense of limitation and might be associated with decreased quality of life in CD patients. This results in gluten contamination in the diet of four out of five celiac patients adhering to a GFD. Furthermore, one in three adult patients will report persistent symptoms and two in three will not achieve full histological recovery when on a GFD. In recent years, there has been extensive research conducted in the quest to find the holy grail of pharmacological treatment for CD. This review will present a concise description of the current rationale and main clinical trials related to CD drug therapy.
Keywords: celiac disease; gluten-free diet; pharmacological treatments.