Evaluation of Celiac Disease Activity in Karbala City based on Serological and Pathological Characteristics

Background: Gluten-enteropathy or celiac disease (CD) is a well-known autoimmune gastroenteropathy. The disease incidence is globally like an iceberg, with many cases believed to be undiscovered in the community. The discovery and monitoring of the activity of the disease is still a dilemma worldwide. Soluble Interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) is a mediator involved in the inflammatory process, including CD. This study aimed to assess the level of sIL-2R in association with duodenal histopathological changes in CD, together with other serological parameters in comparison with healthy individuals. Methods: A forty-five patients (34 females and 11 males, with a female: male ratio is about 3:1 and 45 healthy persons as a control group were included in this cross-sectional study. The ELISA technique was used to evaluate the serum level of sIL-2R, anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgA, and anti-deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) IgG. The duodenal histological changes were evaluated dependent to the Marsh grading system (MARSH). Statistical analysis using the SPSS system has been applied. Results: The patients with CD had high levels of serum anti-tTG, DGP, and sIL-2R with significant differences in comparison with the control group (P< 0.05). Marsh grades showed of highly significant difference in correlation with the immunological markers. Conclusions: Celiac disease can be monitored by immunological and pathological methods. The sIL-2R antibody is a good tool to assess CD activity and patient compliance. Keywords: Gluten, Enteropathy, Celiac disease, sIL-2R, Marsh grading system.