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Background: Treatment of celiac disease (CD) is based on the avoidance of gluten-containing food. However, it is not known whether trace amounts of gluten are harmful to treated patients. Objective: The objective was to establish the safety threshold of prolonged exposure to trace amounts of gluten (ie, contaminating gluten). Design: This was a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial in 49 adults with biopsy-proven CD who were being treated with a gluten-free diet (GFD) for ͧ2 y. The background daily gluten intake was maintained at 5 mg. After a baseline evaluation (t 0 ), patients were assigned to ingest daily for 90 d a capsule containing 0, 10, or 50 mg gluten. Clinical, serologic, and histologic evaluations of the small intestine were performed at t 0 and after the gluten microchallenge (t 1 ). Results: At t 0 , the median villous height/crypt depth (Vh/Cd) in the small-intestinal mucosa was significantly lower and the intraepithelial lymphocyte (IEL) count (҂ 100 enterocytes) significantly higher in the CD patients (Vh/Cd: 2.20; 95% CI: 2.11, 2.89; IEL: 27; 95% CI: 23, 34) than in 20 non-CD control subjects (Vh/Cd: 2.87; 95% CI: 2.50, 3.09; IEL: 22; 95% CI: 18, 24). One patient (challenged with 10 mg gluten) developed a clinical relapse. At t 1 , the percentage change in Vh/Cd was 9% (95% CI: 3%, 15%) in the placebo group (n ҃ 13), Ҁ1% (Ҁ18%, 68%) in the 10-mg group (n ҃ 13), and Ҁ20% (Ҁ22%, Ҁ13%) in the 50-mg group (n ҃ 13). No significant differences in the IEL count were found between the 3 groups. Conclusions:The ingestion of contaminating gluten should be kept lower than 50 mg/d in the treatment of CD.Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85: 160 -6.

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Background: Recent studies suggest that coeliac disease (CD) is one of the commonest, life‐long disorders in Italy. The aims of this multicentre work were: (a) to establish the prevalence of CD on a nationwide basis; and (b) to characterize the CD clinical spectrum in Italy. Patients and methods: Fifteen centres screened 17201 students aged 6–15 years (68.6% of the eligible population) by the combined determination of serum IgG‐ and IgA‐antigliadin antibody (AGA) test; 1289 (7.5%) were IgG and/or IgA‐AGA positive and were recalled for the second‐level investigation; 111 of them met the criteria for the intestinal biopsy: IgA‐AGA positivity and/or AEA positivity or IgG‐AGA positivity plus serum IgA deficiency. Results: Intestinal biopsy was performed on 98 of the 111 subjects. CD was diagnosed in 82 subjects (75 biopsy proven, 7 not biopsied but with associated AGA and AEA positivity). Most of the screening‐detected coeliac patients showed low‐grade intensity illness often associated with decreased psychophysical well‐being. There were two AEA negative cases with associated CD and IgA deficiency. The prevalence of undiagnosed CD was 4.77 × 1000 (95% CI 3.79–5.91), 1 in 210 subjects. The overall prevalence of CD, including known CD cases, was 5.44 × 1000 (95% CI 4.57–6.44), 1 in 184 subjects. The ratio of known to undiagnosed CD cases was 1 in 7. Conclusions: These findings confirm that, in Italy, CD is one of the most common chronic disorders showing a wide and heterogeneous clinical spectrum. Most CD cases remain undiagnosed unless actively searched.

Celiac disease is associated with an increased risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, especially of T-cell type and primarily localized in the gut. However, the association does not represent a great enough risk to justify early mass screening for celiac disease.