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Dig Dis Sci (2009) 54:348350 DOI 10.1007/s10620-008-0365-0
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The Prevalence of Celiac Disease in Blood Donors in Iceland
Gudmundur F. Johannsson Gudjon Kristjansson Nick Cariglia Vigfus Thorsteinsson
Received: 11 February 2008 / Accepted: 3 June 2008 / Published online: 4 July 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008
Abstract Background Prospective epidemiological studies based on serological methods have shown that celiac disease is more common than previously thought. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of celiac disease among apparently healthy blood donors in Iceland. Methods Plasma samples were obtained from 813 apparently healthy blood donors at the FSA Hospital Blood Bank in Akureyri, Iceland, between December 2004 and January 2007 and screened for human tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies. Positive samples were retested and, if the test was again positive, the subject was referred to a gastroenterologist for clinical examination and a duodenoscopy with mucosal biopsies. Results Six subjects tested positive for tissue transglutaminase. The prevalence of biopsy-conrmed celiac disease, according to modied Marsh classication, among apparently healthy blood donors in Iceland was found to be 1:136 (0.74%, 95% condence interval 1/6671/75, 0.151.33%). Conclusion Prevalence of celiac disease in Iceland is similar to what has been reported in many other countries.
Keywords Blood donor Celiac disease Prevalence
Tissue-type transglutaminase
Introduction
Celiac disease (CD) or gluten-sensitive enteropathy is a chronic inammatory disorder of the proximal small intestinal mucosa that results from an inappropriate inammatory response to ingested gluten in genetically susceptible individuals [1].
In recent years, important changes have been made in the diagnostic approach by screening for CD with sensitive serological markers. This has revealed that many patients with CD are asymptomatic or have subtle or atypical symptoms and it is now known that CD is much more common than previously thought.
It was believed that the prevalence of CD was much higher in Western Europe than in other parts of the world, including the USA, but now the prevalence is considered similar in most countries. Screening-based prevalence rates of CD among blood donors in Scandinavia and some other countries has usually been estimated to be in the range of 1:1001:400 [27]. As far as we know, only one previous study of the prevalence of CD has been performed in Iceland....