Celiac disease, posterior cerebral calcifications and epilepsy†

Ten patients (5 males) affected by epilepsy with cerebral calcifications of unknown etiology mainly located in the posterior regions were subjected to a battery of tests including an intestinal biopsy. Our aim was to establish whether or not the patients also suffered from celiac disease. Celiac disease was found in 6 patients. This result and the individual cases reported in the literature suggest that this triad of diseases (celiac disease, posterior cerebral calcifications and epilepsy) are causally related. The same HLA phenotype was found in all 10 patients, i.e., including the cases without celiac disease, suggesting an underlying disorder of the immune system. Our results emphasize that particular attention should be paid to a search for celiac disease in all patients with epilepsy and posterior cerebral calcifications.