Research
Our collection of research that may be useful knowledge to you
Research on
coeliac disease
Research projects in the area of coeliac disease have increased significantly in the last ten years, largely thanks to the efforts of our larger and more established Member societies. Medical experts in the fields of gastroenterology, immunology and genetics have been funded to research various aspects of coeliac disease, such as less invasive diagnosis, treatment or cure and psychological and economic burden on coeliac patients.
Original national research
Our members, the National Coeliac Societies, are conducting and sponsoring research about coeliac disease in their respective countries. We have collected some of this research into easy-to-read abstracts which you can read here.
Italian Coeliac Society
Gluten-free pigmented cereals: chemical characterization and their role in the modulation of inflammatory status in celiac disease.
In this project different analytical methods, and an in vitro model, suitable to study the inflammation status associated to CD, were developed.
This study underlines the potential antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities of pigmented cereals at the gut level. These results could be useful to partially clarify the role of dietary phenolic compounds in the
protection of intestinal mucosa in CD. Moreover, the results obtained could promote the use of pigmented cereals among celiac subjects, improving their quality of life.
Coeliac Society of Belarus
Evaluation of the nutrition menu for children with celiac disease in educationalinstitutions of the Republic of Belarus.
Based on an analysis of the diets provided, it can be argued that it is necessary to develop separate diets for all age groups and to use special programs and services to produce more individualized daily menu in educational institutions. It is also important to offer a wider range of differentdishes, including flour confectionery products to prevent violations of protein-free and gluten-free diets by children.
Irish Coeliac Society
Characteristics of Individuals with Coeliac Disease that Present with Other Autoimmune Conditions.
In this study, prevalence of co-occurring coeliac disease and a secondary autoimmune disorder is higher in females. This reflects previous literature and prevalence of coeliac disease itself.
This could be due to genetics or poor health care attendance of males and in turn poor diagnosis of autoimmune conditions in males.
Although co-occurrence of coeliac disease and other autoimmune disorders increase with age in this population, results are not strong enough to suggest age impacts the link between coeliac disease and other autoimmune conditions. More research is needed to investigate this.
Irish Coeliac Society
The Prevalence of Other Autoimmune Conditions Alongside Coeliac Disease.
Prevalence of other autoimmune conditions alongside coeliac disease in this study falls in the upper range of prevalence found in previous research which is 15-30%. Unlike other studies, psoriasis and not type one diabetes or thyroid conditions are the most common autoimmune condition reported in this coeliac population.
This study summarizes the largest list of autoimmune conditions to occur alongside coeliac disease to date.
This study suggests, overall other autoimmune conditions that cooccur alongside coeliac disease are diagnosed before coeliac disease. This suggests that those with other autoimmune conditions could possibly have and should be checked for coeliac disease.
Portugeuse Coeliac Society
What about the siblings? Self-regulation, agency, and quality of life in siblings of children with Celiac Disease.
This project aims to raise awareness to this topic, reinforcing the key role of psychology advocacy in improving the disease management and relationships of all involved.
Research on this topic will continued with aspirations that the results will provide in-depth knowledge that will contribute to the development of effective guidance for families and health professionals.
Ukrainian Coeliac Society
Features of the intestinal microbiome in patient with gluten-sensitive diseases who are on an agliadin diet.
We found significant IM changes in patients with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, which was expressed in an increase of the Bacteroidetes content with a parallel decrease in the content of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria.
The most significant were changes in Actinobacteria content, a little less significant - the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio.
The detected intestinal microbiome changes are most likely to be a consequence of dietary features of such patients, namely the side effect of maintaining an agliadin diet.
Celiac Disease Foundation (USA)
Disease Burden and Quality of Life Impacts in Patients With Celiac Disease on a Gluten-Free Diet: An Analysis of the iCureCeliac Registry.
This study indicates that most patients (94%) report always adhering to a strict GFD. Despite adherence to a GFD, many patients still experience CeD symptoms, which have a substantial impact on their day-to-day lives. Using LCA, patients with two distinct symptom burden profiles were identified, as captured by the PROMIS-GI and CSI questionnaires. Higher CeD symptom burden was associated with decreased QoL,increased CeD-related health conditions and nutritional deficiencies, and increased absenteeism (lending to the high level of absenteeism in the overall population, with patients reporting an average of approximately 33 days of work or school missed in the preceding year). Patients with lower symptom burden were less likely to report many CeD‑related health conditions or vitamin deficiencies and are more likely to believe that a GFD treats their symptoms. These data underscore the heterogeneity of CeD and the need for therapeutic options beyond a GFD to mitigate disease burden in patients with CeD.
Other research
CD-Medics
The objective of this EU-funded project was to obtain an instrument that will be a low-cost non-invasive intelligent diagnosis system that can be present at point of care, such as a doctor’s surgery which will bring benefits to patients and healthcare professionals.
The applications of the proposed integrated micro system and its individual modules for coeliac disease diagnosis, monitoring and management are multiple. The analysis of the HLA-DQ2 & 8 genes will provide information on the genetic predisposition of an individual, while serum IgA and IgG indicate antibodies associated with gluten in the diet.
Prevent CD
The project was a European multicentre study funded by a grant from the European Union (FP6-2005-FOOD-4B-36383). The study involved 17 partners of 11 countries: 13 clinical centres, 3 industrial companies and AOECS, the representative of coeliac patients.
The study investigated the influence of infant feeding on the risk of developing CD. The hypothesis is that by exposing infants to small quantities of gluten while they are still being breast-fed to possibly induce tolerance to gluten thus reducing the risk for CD in genetically susceptible individuals.
Prospective Celiac Disease Diagnostic Evaluation
The reference standard for the diagnosis of Celiac Disease (CD) is based on estimates using mostly retrospective evaluations or data from single-center studies. Therefore, the working group of ESPGHAN on the diagnostic criteria of CD felt obliged to evaluate the new criteria on a large paediatric population in different countries and settings including a broad range of symptomatic and asymptomatic children which are referred for further work up because of a positive test result for antibodies against tissue transglutaminase. The ProCeDE study aims to provide prospective data to assure that this diagnostic procedure is valid also in clinical practice with positive predictive value above 99%. Furthermore, interobserver variability for histology and inter-test variability will be assessed and the impact of HLA-typing on diagnosis will be evaluated.
MEASURING GLUTEN IN FOOD
This is an article titled Determination of Gliadin as a Measure of Gluten in Food by R5 sandwich ELISA RIDASCREEN®
Background: According to Codex Alimentarius, food products containing less than 20 mg/kg gluten, can be labeled as "gluten-free". Since 2002, the R5 antibody method allowed the determination of gluten levels and led to a huge improvement of products available to CD patients.
Research Papers
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is an excellent source for research papers on coeliac disease and other associated conditions.