<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Here's a couple of interesting new abstracts: ---------- Am J Clin Pathol. 2004 Apr;121(4):546-50 Non-gluten sensitivity-related small bowel villous flattening with increased intraepithelial lymphocytes: not all that flattens is celiac sprue. Goldstein NS. Department of Anatomic Pathology, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA. Seven patients (mean age, 37.6 years; 5 women) had several weeks of gluten sensitivity (GS)-like symptoms; 2 had flu-like symptom prodromes. The 7 cases had morphologically similar biopsy specimens; all tissue fragments had uniform injury--increased lymphoplasmacytic lamina propria inflammation, moderate to complete villous flattening, numerous crypt mitoses, and markedly increased villous intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs). All patients were diagnosed with GS and prescribed a gluten-free diet; all returned 9 to 38 weeks later questioning their diagnosis because symptoms had resolved substantially or completely. Clinical improvement was unrelated to gluten abstinence or ingestion. Repeated endoscopy and colonoscopy performed 4.1 to 16 months later showed normal mucosa in all 7 patients. Diseases other than GS can cause marked villous flattening and increased villous IELs in adults. The cause of small bowel mucosal injury is unknown. A similar non-GS-associated clinicopathologic complex, assumed to be due to a protracted viral enteritis or slow regression of a virus- induced immune reaction, occurs in children. The temporal aspects of symptom improvement and mucosal restitution in these 7 patients are similar to "acute self-limited colitis." An overly exuberant immune response to an infectious agent is possible. PMID: 15080306 [PubMed - in process] ---------- Gut. 2004 May;53(5):649-654 Oats to children with newly diagnosed coeliac disease: a randomised double blind study. Hogberg L, Laurin P, Falth-Magnusson K, Grant C, Grodzinsky E, Jansson G, Ascher H, Browaldh L, Hammersjo JA, Lindberg E, Myrdal U, Stenhammar L. Department of Paediatrics, Norrkoping Hospital, Sweden, and Department of Paediatrics, Linkoping University Hospital, Sweden. Department of Paediatrics, Linkoping University Hospital, Sweden. Laboratory Medicine Ostergotland, Pathology, Norrkoping Hospital, Sweden. Development Unit for Primary Care and Psychiatry, County Council in Ostergotland, Sweden. Department of Paediatrics, Motala Hospital, Sweden. Department of Paediatrics, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden. Department of Paediatrics, Sachsska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Department of Paediatrics, Vastervik Hospital, Sweden. Department of Paediatrics, Orebro University Hospital, Sweden. Department of Paediatrics, Vasteras Hospital, Sweden. BACKGROUND: Treatment of coeliac disease (CD) requires lifelong adherence to a strict gluten free diet (GFD) which hitherto has consisted of a diet free of wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Recent studies, mainly in adults, have shown that oats are non-toxic to CD patients. In children, only open studies comprising a small number of patients have been performed. Aim: To determine if children with CD tolerate oats in their GFD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this double blind multicentre study involving eight paediatric clinics, 116 children with newly diagnosed CD were randomised to one of two groups: one group was given a standard GFD (GFD-std) and one group was given a GFD with additional wheat free oat products (GFD-oats). The study period was one year. Small bowel biopsy was performed at the beginning and end of the study. Serum IgA antigliadin, antiendomysium, and antitissue transglutaminase antibodies were monitored at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS: Ninety three patients completed the study. Median (range) daily oat intake in the GFD-oats group (n = 42) was 15 (5-40) g at the six month control and 15 (0-43) g at the end of the study. All patients were in clinical remission after the study period. The GFD-oats and GFD-std groups did not differ significantly at the end of the study regarding coeliac serology markers or small bowel mucosal architecture, including numbers of intraepithelial lymphocytes. Significantly more children in the youngest age group withdrew. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first randomised double blind study showing that the addition of moderate amounts of oats to a GFD does not prevent clinical or small bowel mucosal healing, or humoral immunological downregulation in coeliac children. This is in accordance with the findings of studies in adult coeliacs and indicates that oats, added to the otherwise GFD, can be accepted and tolerated by the majority of children with CD. PMID: 15082581 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] * * * *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*