Celiac disease prevalence in the patients with irritable bowel syndrome in the ilam province; a cross sectional study from Western iran

INTRODUCTION: Many studies have shown that the prevalence of celiac disease (CD) is increasing in the patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the present evidences are controversy and all of the researches don't suggest evaluation of the patients with IBS for the CD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the cross-sectional study, 1000 patients that affected by IBS with the predominant feature of diarrhea who referred to the gastroenterology clinic were evaluated during 2009-2012 years. Blood samples were taken from the patients for ELISA of IgA tissue transglutaminase (TTG) Ab. Then biopsy was taken from the second part of duodenum of all of patients by endoscopy and the sample was referred to pathologist for histopathology evaluation in order to confirm diagnosis. RESULTS: About half of the patients with IBS were women (50.3) and the mean age +/- Standard deviation of the men and women was 29.59+/-11.41 and 28.42+/-11.73, respectively. The mean titer of TTG IgA Ab in the women and men affected by IBS was 5.25+/-17.77 and 7.22+/-25.4, respectively. Seventy six cases (7.6) that affected by IBS had high serum level of Ab titer (TTG IgA.Ab>/=10) that including 41 women and 35 men. In the patients with high serum level of Ab titer, 57 cases (75) were affected by celiac disease (based on histopathology report). Therefore, the prevalence of CD was 5.7 among patients with IBS. CONCLUSION: In the current study the incidence of CD was evaluated 5.7 cases per each 100 people with IBS. It's suggested that all of the patients with diarrhea predominant IBS and high serum level of TTG IgA Ab must be examined for evaluation of CD