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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abst
ract&list_uids=15276666

Eur Psychiatry. 2004 Aug;19(5):311-4.


"Bread madness" revisited: screening for specific celiac antibodies among
schizophrenia patients.

Peleg R, Ben-Zion ZI, Peleg A, Gheber L, Kotler M, Weizman Z, Shiber A, Fich
A, Horowitz Y, Shvartzman P.

Department of Family Medicine, Sial Research Center for Family Medicine and
Primary Care, Division of Community Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev,
Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.

Purpose. - A possible association between gluten consumption and
schizophrenia has been reported. The objective was to compare patients with chronic
schizophrenia and matched controls for sociodemographic variables, prevalence of
celiac-specific anti-endomysial antibodies and disease-related variables.
Subjects and methods. - The study group was comprised of 50 consecutive patients
diagnosed with schizophrenia, 18 years of age and older attending the out-patient
clinic of the Mental Health Center in Beer-Sheva, Israel. The control group
was comprised of mentally normal volunteers who came to primary care clinics for
blood tests unrelated to gastrointestinal tract complaints and who were not
diagnosed with celiac disease. Known celiac patients and those who refused to
participate, did non-speak Hebrew or were incoherent were excluded from the
study. All participants in both groups underwent a blood test for anti-endomysial
IgA antibody and completed a questionnaire. Results. - Each group was
comprised of 50 participants. There were no significant differences between the
groups in gender, BMI or country of birth. The mean age of the study group was
significantly higher than the controls. All tests for anti-endomysial antibody in
both groups were negative. Discussion and conclusions. - In contrast to
previous reports, we found no evidence for celiac disease in patients with chronic
schizophrenia as manifested by the presence of serum IgA anti-endomysial
antibodies. It is unlikely that there is an association between gluten sensitivity
and schizophrenia.

PMID: 15276666 [PubMed - in process]

* Please remember some posters may be WHEAT-FREE, but not GLUTEN-FREE *