There Is No Association between Coeliac Disease and Autoimmune Pancreatitis

Nutrients. 2018 Aug 24;10(9):1157. doi: 10.3390/nu10091157.

Abstract

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a rare disorder whose association with coeliac disease (CD) has never been investigated, although CD patients display a high prevalence of both endocrine and exocrine pancreatic affections. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the frequency of CD in patients with AIP and in further medical pancreatic disorders. The screening for CD was carried out through the detection of tissue transglutaminase (tTG) autoantibodies in sera of patients retrospectively enrolled and divided in four groups: AIP, chronic pancreatitis, chronic asymptomatic pancreatic hyperenzymemia (CAPH), and control subjects with functional dyspepsia. The search for anti-endomysium autoantibodies was performed in those cases with borderline or positive anti-tTG values. Duodenal biopsy was offered to all cases showing positive results. One patient out of 72 (1.4%) with AIP had already been diagnosed with CD and was following a gluten-free diet, while one case out of 71 (1.4%) with chronic pancreatitis and one out of 92 (1.1%) control subjects were diagnosed with de novo CD. No cases of CD were detected in the CAPH group. By contrast, a high prevalence of cases with ulcerative colitis was found in the AIP group (13.8%). Despite a mutual association between CD and several autoimmune disorders, our data do not support the serologic screening for CD in AIP. Further studies will clarify the usefulness of CD serologic screening in other pancreatic disorders.

Keywords: autoimmune pancreatitis; coeliac disease; pancreatic disorders; screening.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Autoantibodies / blood
  • Autoimmune Diseases / diagnosis
  • Autoimmune Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Autoimmune Diseases / immunology
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Celiac Disease / diagnosis
  • Celiac Disease / diet therapy
  • Celiac Disease / epidemiology*
  • Celiac Disease / immunology
  • Colitis, Ulcerative / diagnosis
  • Colitis, Ulcerative / epidemiology
  • Colitis, Ulcerative / immunology
  • Diet, Gluten-Free
  • Female
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pancreatitis / diagnostic imaging
  • Pancreatitis / epidemiology*
  • Pancreatitis / immunology
  • Prevalence
  • Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Transglutaminases / immunology
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Biomarkers
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2
  • Transglutaminases
  • GTP-Binding Proteins