A Scoring System for Identifying Patients Likely to Be Diagnosed with Low-Grade Coeliac Enteropathy

Background & Aims: Determining whether patients with lymphocytic enteritis (LE) have coeliac disease is a challenge. We analysed the variables associated with a low-grade coeliac enteropathy diagnosis in patients with suspected coeliac disease but without villous atrophy, and developed a sco...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fernando Fernández-Bañares, Anna Carrasco, Mercè Rosinach, Beatriz Arau, Roger García-Puig, Clarisa González, Eva Tristán, Yamile Zabana, Maria Esteve
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-05-01
Series:Nutrients
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/5/1050
Description
Summary:Background &amp; Aims: Determining whether patients with lymphocytic enteritis (LE) have coeliac disease is a challenge. We analysed the variables associated with a low-grade coeliac enteropathy diagnosis in patients with suspected coeliac disease but without villous atrophy, and developed a scoring system to identify them. Methods: We collected data from 2010 through to 2016 on patients with lymphocytic enteritis and persistent symptoms compatible with the clinical spectrum of coeliac disease. One hundred and four patients starting on a gluten-free diet (GFD) were included. Duodenal biopsies were collected before the GFD and analysed for numbers of CD3<sup>+</sup> T-cell receptor gamma delta+ (TCR&#947;&#948;<sup>+</sup>), and CD3<sup>&#8722;</sup> intraepithelial lymphocytes. We performed a logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with a low-grade coeliac enteropathy diagnosis. Results: Sixty-two patients achieved clinical remission after the GFD. Fifty of these 62 patients were diagnosed with low-grade coeliac enteropathy. Multivariate analysis identified the presence of &gt;25% intraepithelial lymphocytosis, HLA-DQ2.5, positive serology, and increased numbers of TCR&#947;&#948;<sup>+</sup> cells with a low-grade coeliac enteropathy diagnosis. We developed a scoring system that identified patients with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.91. Scores of &gt;10 had 86% sensitivity and 85% specificity. Conclusion: We developed a scoring system that identifies patients likely to be diagnosed with low-grade coeliac enteropathy with an AUC value of 0.91.
ISSN:2072-6643