Objective
: To analyze if it is worthwhile to screen Brazilian osteoporotic patients for celiac disease (CD).
Subjects and methods
: One hundred patients with osteoporosis and 97 controls were evaluated for IgA-EmA (IgA anti-endomysial antibodies) by indirect immunofluorescence method and IgG-anti-tTG (tissue transglutaminase) by ELISA assay. Positive patients were invited to have gastrointestinal endoscopy with jejunal biopsy.
Results
: Two patients had positive IgG-anti-tTG test and one of them also showed positive IgA-EmA. Only the latter had a positive duodenal biopsy for CD. None of the controls were positive for either auto-antibodies.
Conclusion
: We observed low prevalence of CD in osteoporotic Brazilian patients. This finding does not support routine screening for CD in patients with osteoporosis in our geographic region. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2014;58(3):270-3
Osteoporosis; celiac disease; auto-antibodies; gluten