The relationship between gluten enteropaty and nailfold capillaryoscopy findings and disease activity

OBJECTİVE:Gluten enteropathy is an autoimmune, proximal small intestinal disease that develops in genetically susceptible individuals as permanent intolerance to other gluten-like cereal proteins in cereals such as gluten and barley, rye, oats, etc.The microvascular bed is the easiest to reach in the nailfold and has features that give an idea about autoimmune diseases.In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between gluten enteropathy patient activation and capillary circulation with nailfold video capillaryoscopy device. METHOD and MATERIAL: In this study, Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine Sahinbey Research and Practice Hospital Department of Gastroenterology was diagnosed with gluten enteropathy, 35 active, 32 remission patients and 27 control groups without gluten enteropathy were included.They were selected from 94 patients included in the study, no systemic, autoimmune disease, non-smoker, and no pregnancy except gluten enteropathy.Capillary measurements in our work; gender, age, Body Mass Index, duration of GE diagnosis, hemogram and routine laboratory values, disease-specific autoantibodies such as anti tissue transglutaminaz, anti endomysium antibody and anti gliadin antibody and March-OberHuber classification. RESULTS:When comparing the active patient group with the remission group in terms of disease, in terms of NVC measurements; all of the patients who were diagnosed with capillary disorder were found in the active patient group and the patients with remission did not have any capillary disorder and this was statistically significant (p <0,01).In our study, a statistically significant difference was found between NVC measurements between GE patients and the control group and it was found to be associated with disease activation. Key words:Gluten Enteropathy, Videocapillaryoscopy