V. Passananti

Irritable bowel syndrome and food interaction

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders in Western countries. Despite the high prevalence of this disorders, the therapeutic management of these patients is often unsatisfactory. A number of factors have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of IBS, including impaired motility and sensitivity, increased permeability, changes in the gut microbiome and alterations in the brain-gut axis. Also food seems to play a critical role: the most of IBS patients report the onset or the exacerbation of their symptoms after the meals. Recently, an increasing attention has been paid to the role of food in IBS. In this review we summarize the most recent evidences about the role of diet on IBS symptoms. A diet restricted in fermentable, poorly absorbed carbohydrates and sugar alcohols has beneficial effects on IBS symptoms. More studies are needed to improve our knowledge about the relationship between food and IBS. However, in the foreseeable future, dietary strategies will represent one of the key tools in the therapeutic management of patients with IBS.

Prevalence of Eating Disorders in Adults with Celiac Disease

Background. Symptoms of celiac disease negatively impact social activities and emotional state. Aim was to investigate the prevalence of altered eating behaviour in celiac patients. Methods. Celiac patients and controls completed a dietary interview and the Binge Eating Staircases, Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-2), Eating Attitudes Test, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, State Trait Anxiety Inventory Forma Y (STAI-Y1 and STAI-Y2), and Symptom Check List (SCL-90). Results. One hundred celiac adults and 100 controls were not statistically different for gender, age, and physical activity. STAI-Y1 and STAI-Y2, Somatization, Interpersonal, Sensitivity, and Anxiety scores of the SLC-90 were higher in CD patients than controls. EDI-2 was different in pulse thinness, social insecurity, perfectionism, inadequacy, ascetisms, and interpersonal diffidence between CD and HC women, whilst only in interceptive awareness between CD and HC men. A higher EAT-26 score was associated with the CD group dependently with gastrointestinal symptoms. The EAT26 demonstrated association between indices of diet-related disorders in both CD and the feminine gender after controlling for anxiety and depression. Conclusion. CD itself and not gastrointestinal related symptoms or psychological factors may contribute pathological eating behavior in celiac adults. Eating disorders appear to be more frequent in young celiac women than in CD men and in HC.

Efficacy of budesonide therapy in the early phase of treatment of adult coeliac disease patients with malabsorption: an in vivo/in vitro pilot study.

1 Budesonide is a glucocorticosteroid with a local anti‐inflammatory effect. Coeliac disease is an immune‐mediated disease caused by gluten ingestion in intolerant patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of budesonide in malabsorptive coeliac patients and its effect in an in vitro gliadin challenge. 2 Twenty coeliac patients with malabsorption were enrolled in the present study and were randomly assigned to one of two 4 week treatments: (i) a gluten‐free diet alone; or (ii) a gluten‐free diet plus 6 mg budesonide daily. At the end of 4 weeks treatment, all patients underwent clinical evaluation, laboratory tests and self‐evaluation of well‐being using a visual analogue scale. Intestinal biopsies from five coeliac patients (selected randomly) and four non‐coeliac disease controls who underwent upper endoscopy for intestinal bleeding were challenged with gliadin (0.5 mg/mL) and budesonide (10–30 µg/mL) for 3 and 24 h. Biopsies were tested by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence for known markers of inflammation. 3 Treatment of patients with 6 mg budesonide daily for 4 weeks resulted in increased bodyweight, a decreased number of evacuations and decreased stool weight compared with patients on a gluten‐free diet alone for 4 weeks. Well‐being scores were higher in patients treated with both a gluten‐free diet and budesonide compared with those receiving a gluten‐free diet alone. 4 In vitro studies showed that budesonide reduced epithelial tyrosine phosphorylation and expression of histocompatibility leucocyte antigen complex DR (HLA‐DR) elicited by gliadin‐derived peptides. In addition, the expression of cyclo‐oxygenase (COX)‐2 and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)‐1 in the lamina propria was reduced in patients treated with both gliadin and budesonide compared with patients treated with gliadin alone. Budesonide alone decreased HLA‐DR in crypt enterocytes, as well as ICAM‐1 and COX‐2 expression in the lamina propria of biopsy specimen of coeliac patients. Budesonide had no effect in control samples. 5 In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that budesonide shows efficacy in the treatment of symptoms in adult coeliac patients with overt malabsorption. The mechanism underlying the effects of budesonide in reducing symptoms was elucidated by in vitro studies involving a gliadin challenge.

Bone mass in women with celiac disease: role of exercise and gluten-free diet.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Celiac patients report fatigue and reduced social activities, which may decrease physical activity. This study investigated the physical activity, fatigue and bone mineral density in celiac women at diagnosis and during diet. MATERIALS AND METHODS The first group (n=48) had the bone mineral density measured at diagnosis and after 2 years of a gluten-free diet; in the second group (n=47) bone mineral density was measured at diagnosis and after 5 years of a gluten-free diet. Both groups completed a physical activity questionnaire and visual analogue scale for the perception of fatigue at diagnosis and follow-up. Data about smoking habits, alcohol use, presence of gastrointestinal symptoms, drug therapy and body mass index were also collected. RESULTS At diagnosis, the two groups were similar for all considered variables. At follow-up, the mean body mass index and physical activity questionnaires score were similar to baseline. The bone density increased in both groups, whilst the physical activity questionnaire and visual analogue scale remained unchanged. CONCLUSION The improvement in bone density following a gluten-free diet was significant after 2 years; physical activity is frequently low and plays a minor role in determining the changes in bone mineral density.

Body Mass Index and Prevalence of Skin Diseases in Adults with Untreated Coeliac Disease

Objective: Coeliac disease (CD) is associated with immune-mediated skin diseases such as dermatitis herpetiformis and others. The objective of the study was to investigate the relation of body mass index (BMI), as an index of absorptive status, with the prevalence of skin diseases in adults with untreated CD. Methods: Anthropometry, gastro-intestinal symptoms, nutritional indices and immune-mediated skin diseases (dermatitis herpetiformis, psoriasis, aphthosis and alopecia) at diagnosis were analysed. Results: 223 men and 924 women with untreated CD (aged 20–60 years) were included, the commonest skin disease was dermatitis herpetiformis (18.4 and 6.9%, respectively), the rarest one was alopecia (1.8 and 2.1%). The BMI was positively associated with male gender, age at diagnosis and nutritional indices, negatively with diarrhoea and dyspepsia (p < 0.001). A BMI difference of 3.5 (1 standard deviation) was related to an excess prevalence of dermatitis herpetiformis (odds ratio, OR = 1.46, 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.23–1.72) and of psoriasis (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.10–1.79) but not of other immunological disorders. Findings were similar in analyses by gender or age group and controlled for gender and age. The relation of BMI to dermatitis herpetiformis was linear over the whole BMI range, also excluding overweight patients. The relation of BMI to psoriasis was flat for low-to-normal BMI and explained only by overweight patients. Conclusion: In CD at diagnosis, the BMI is positively related to the prevalence of dermatitis herpetiformis and psoriasis, not to that of other immune-mediated skin diseases.

Quality of bowel cleansing in hospitalized patients undergoing colonoscopy: A multicentre prospective regional study

BACKGROUND Quality of bowel cleansing in hospitalized patients undergoing colonoscopy is often unsatisfactory. No study has investigated the inpatient or outpatient setting as cause of inadequate cleansing. AIMS To assess degree of bowel cleansing in inpatients and outpatients and to identify possible predictors of poor bowel preparation in the two populations. METHODS Prospective multicentre study on consecutive colonoscopies in 25 regional endoscopy units. Univariate and multivariate analysis with odds ratio estimation were performed. RESULTS Data from 3276 colonoscopies were analyzed (2178 outpatients, 1098 inpatients). Incomplete colonoscopy due to inadequate cleansing was recorded in 369 patients (11.2%). There was no significant difference in bowel cleansing rates between in- and outpatients in both colonic segments. In the overall population, independent predictors of inadequate cleansing both at the level of right and left colon were: male gender (odds ratio, 1.20 [1.02-1.43] and 1.27 [1.05-1.53]), diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 2.35 [1.68-3.29] and 2.12 [1.47-3.05]), chronic constipation (odds ratio, 1.60 [1.30-1.97] and 1.55 [1.23-1.94]), incomplete purge intake (odds ratio, 2.36 [1.90-2.94] and 2.11 [1.68-2.65]) and a runway time >12h (odds ratio, 3.36 [2.40-4.72] and 2.53 [1.74-3.67]). CONCLUSIONS We found no difference in the rate of inadequate bowel preparation between hospitalized patients and outpatients.