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No Link Apparent Between IBS and Celiac Disease

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Apr 13 - The results of a study of local residents by researchers at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, show no association between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and celiac disease.

There have been reports of a particularly high prevalence of celiac disease in patients with IBS, Dr. G. Richard Locke III and colleagues note in the April issue of the Mayo Clinical Proceedings. They also point out that serological testing offers a sensitive and specific means of identifying celiac disease.

Ten percent of the population has symptoms consistent with IBS, Dr. Locke told Reuters Health. Since the symptoms of celiac disease and IBS are similar, it has been suggested that these patients may have undiagnosed celiac disease.

To investigate, the researchers conducted a case-control study, based on the results of a bowel disease questionnaire sent to a random sample of Olmsted County residents between the ages of 20 and 50 years.

One hundred fifty subjects were evaluated. These included 72 respondents who reported symptoms of IBS and dyspepsia and 78 controls who reported no notable gastrointestinal symptoms. Overall, 50 had IBS, 24 had dyspepsia and 15 had both conditions.

However, serological testing showed no significant difference in celiac disease distribution among groups. In all, two controls tested positive for celiac disease (2.6%), as did two subjects with IBS (4.0%) and two with dyspepsia (5.9%). Celiac disease, the team concludes, "did not explain the presence of either IBS or dyspepsia in these subjects."

"Our study," Dr. Locke added, "shows that celiac disease is an uncommon cause of IBS symptoms in the community."

He and his colleagues suggest that "selection bias possibly explains in part the increased prevalence of celiac disease reported in outpatients with IBS and dyspepsia."

Mayo Clin Proc 2004;79:476-482.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/473449?src=mp