NUTRITIONAL-STATUS OF NEWLY-DIAGNOSED CELIAC-DISEASE PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INSTITUTION OF A CELIAC-DISEASE DIET - ASSOCIATION WITH THE GRADE OF MUCOSAL VILLOUS ATROPHY

No systematic studies have been carried out on the association of nutr itional status with the severity of mucosal villous atrophy in newly d iagnosed celiac disease patients. We examined the nutritional status o f 40 adult patients with newly diagnosed celiac disease classified acc ording to the grade of villous atrophy: partial, subtotal, and total. Nutritional status was determined by food records as well as by anthro pometric and biochemical measurements. Anthropometric results did not differ among the three atrophy groups,but serum ferritin and erythrocy te folate were lower in patients with total villous atrophy than in th e other groups. Most of the abnormal biochemical values were normalize d during 1 y of a gluten-free diet; villous atrophy healed concomitant ly. To conclude, patients with total mucosal villous atrophy at diagno sis had low erythrocyte folate and serum ferritin values, but no other major differences were found in nutritional status among celiac disea se patients with different grades of villous atrophy.