Celiac disease in the practice of a family doctor

Abstract

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated genetically determined disease with a predominant lesion of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by the development of specific changes in the mucous membrane of the small intestine. The prevalence of the disease is on average 1.4 % of the total population of the planet. Other autoimmune diseases are associated with celiac disease, including Hashimoto»s thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, primary biliary cirrhosis, and Addison»s disease. In the clinical picture, there are no specific symptoms that could directly indicate the presence of celiac disease. The variety of forms of this disease also complicates the diagnosis. The leading diagnostic methods are serodiagnosis with the detection of specific antibodies to deaminated gliadin peptides, tissue transglutaminase, antiendomysial and antigliadin antibodies, as well as HLA typing and histological examination of biopsy material taken from the duodenal mucosa. The leading treatment method is the prescription of a gluten-free diet in combination with maintenance therapy drugs: vitamins of groups A, B, C, D, E, iron and magnesium compounds.