Celiac Disease in Patients with Neuropathy

Neuropathy means nerve damage, which interferes with the functioning of the peripheral nervous system. It has been mentioned as one of the extra-intestinal manifestations of celiac disease. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of celiac disease in patients presented with idiopathic neuropathy.
A cross-sectional study was done in patients with idiopathic neuropathy at Shariati Hospital, Tehran. Serological tests including endomysial IgA, tissue transglutaminase (TTG) IgA and IgG, and DGP (deamidated gliadin peptide) IgA, and genetic assessment for HLA DQ2 and DQ8 (human leukocyte antigen) were done for all patients and those who had positive celiac serology and HLA DQ2/DQ8 underwent endoscopy and adequate biopsy samples were taken. Diagnosis was made based on histopathological report of celiac disease.
101 patients with idiopathic neuropathy were enrolled. The mean age was 43.56 ± 10.66 years (range 70-18 years). The prevalence of HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 positivity in patients with idiopathic neuropathy was 36.6% and 9.9%, respectively. The most common neuropathy subtype in patients with positive HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 was demyelinating PN (Polyneuropathy). One patient (1%) was diagnosed as havine celiac disease.
Although the prevalence of celiac disease in patients with idiopathic neuropathy was similar to the general population, having considered the pravalence of celiac disease, treating this condition with gluten-free diet is of importance.