In clinical practice the criteria for diagnosis of coeliac disease are sufficiently standardized, whereas for follow-up they are less well defined. We suggest that in order to compare the results from different studies, it should be stated whether remission after treatment is based on clinical or histological criteria or both.

The present results indicate that the prevalence of CD in patients with dyspepsia is twice that of the general population. Thus, serological screening for CD should be considered in the early workup of these patients to allow diagnosis and treatment of an eminently treatable disease.

Lactose malabsorption was assessed by the hydrogen breath test in 40 Italian patients with irritable bowel syndrome and 42 controls without abdominal disturbances. Sixty-five percent of patients were "low milk consumers" (0-250 ml milk per day) compared with 38% of controls (P less than 0.02). Lactose loads of 25 and 50 g caused malabsorption in 82.5 and 87.5% patients and in 55 and 62% controls, respectively (patients vs controls P less than 0.02). Malabsorption was more frequent in the "low milk consumers" group (P less than 0.05). During a four-month lactose-free diet as the only treatment 7.5% of patients became symptom-free (and remained so for a further eight-month diet), 52.5% improved, and 40% showed no change.