A large variety of clinical features and concomitant disorders in celiac disease – A cohort study in the Netherlands

Background and aims: Celiac disease (CeD) is a gluten triggered, immune-mediated disease of the small intestine. Few clinical cohort descriptions are available, despite the diverse clinical picture. This study provides an overview of a large Dutch CeD cohort focusing on presenting symptoms, co-occurrence of immune mediated diseases (IMD) and malignancies. Methods: We performed a retrospective study in a Dutch university and a non-university medical hospital and included only biopsy proven (>= Marsh type 2 classification) CeD patients. Results: 412 patients were included, selected from 9468 small-bowel biopsy pathology reports and financial codes. Classical symptoms were present in approximately one third of the cohort (diarrhea (37.4%), fatigue (35.0%), weight loss (31.6%), abdominal pain (33.3%)). Atypical symptoms as constipation (10.4%) and reflux (12.4%) were reported as well. 11.7% was diagnosed without reported symptoms. In 25.2% concomitant IMD occurred (most prevalent: type 1 diabetes mellitus (4.9%), microscopic colitis (4.9%), immune mediated-thyroid disease (4.1%)). CeD patients with a concomitant IMD were diagnosed at a significantly higher age compared to those without (P = 0.002). Malignancies occurred in 53 cases (12.9%), including eight Enteropathy Associated T-cell Lymphomas. Conclusion: This is the first study describing a CeD cohort in such detail in the Netherlands and highlights the clinical heterogeneity and importance of screening for concomitant diseases in CeD. (C) 2016 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.