<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Just how closely are diabetes type 1 and celiac disease linked? First a study shows HLA DQ2 and DR4 are so similar in diabetes type 1 patients with or without celiac disease that HLA typing cannot be used to screen for celiac disease in diabetic type 1 patients. Now a study shows that wheat causes villous atrophy in non-obese diabetic mice. It is theorized by some that autoimmune disorders have a common cause and a common cure. These studies add credibility to this theory. ---------- Diabetologia. 2005 Apr 14; [Epub ahead of print] Small intestinal enteropathy in non-obese diabetic mice fed a diet containing wheat. Maurano F, Mazzarella G, Luongo D, Stefanile R, D'Arienzo R, Rossi M, Auricchio S, Troncone R. Institute of Food Science, CNR, via Roma 52 A/C, 83100, Avellino, Italy, [log in to unmask] AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: A deranged mucosal immune response and dietary factors may play an important role in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. The aims of our work were to look for the presence of small intestinal enteropathy in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice in relation to the presence of wheat proteins in the diet, and to assess their role in the risk of developing diabetes. METHODS: Female NOD mice were fed a standard or gluten-free diet or a gluten-free diet with the addition of wheat proteins (MGFD). Small intestine architecture, intraepithelial CD3(+) infiltration, epithelial expression of H2-IA, mRNA for IFN-gamma and IL-4 were assessed. RESULTS: NOD mice fed a standard diet showed reduced villous height, increased intraepithelial infiltration by CD3(+) cells and enhanced expression of H2- IA and IFN-gamma mRNA when compared with mice on the gluten-free diet. The cumulative diabetes incidence at 43 weeks of age was 65% in the latter and 97% in the former (p<0.01). Mice on MGFD also showed increased epithelial infiltration and a higher incidence of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Mice fed a wheat-containing diet showed a higher incidence of diabetes, signs of small intestinal enteropathy and higher mucosal levels of proinflammatory cytokines. PMID: 15830185 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] ---------- Diabetes Care. 2005 Apr;28(4):806-9. Use of HLA Typing in Diagnosing Celiac Disease in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes. Doolan A, Donaghue K, Fairchild J, Wong M, Williams AJ. Department of Clinical Immunology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, New South Wales 2050, Australia. [log in to unmask] OBJECTIVE: This study examines the use of HLA typing for the diagnosis of celiac disease in a group of Australians with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Subjects included 131 sequential patients with type 1 diabetes (mean age 17 years [range 10-37]), 77 patients with biopsy-proven celiac disease (mean age 52 years [range 12-84]), and 162 healthy control subjects (mean age 17 years [range 2 months to 56 years]). Subjects were prospectively screened for celiac disease using endomysial antibodies (EMAs), tissue transglutaminase antibodies (TTGAs), and celiac disease- specific HLA typing. RESULTS: Celiac disease was diagnosed in 11 subjects after an intestinal biopsy (prevalence 8.4%). There was 95% agreement between TTGA and EMA for positive results and 100% for negative results. There was no significant difference for HLA DQ2 and DR4 among patients with type 1 diabetes with or without celiac disease. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of celiac disease among patients with type 1 diabetes is higher than previously estimated in Australia. TTGA is a valuable diagnostic tool that can be used for screening celiac disease in patients with type 1 diabetes. HLA typing should not be used in the diagnosis of celiac disease in patients with type 1 diabetes because of the similarities of HLA types between patients with type 1 diabetes and those with celiac disease. PMID: 15793177 [PubMed - in process] * * * *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*