Seroprevalence of celiac disease among United Arab Emirates healthy adult nationals: A gender disparity

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG 2014-11, Vol.20 (42), p.15830-15836
• Main Authors: Abu-Zeid, Yousif A, Jasem, Waheeba S, Lebwohl, Benjamin, Green, Peter H, ElGhazali, Gehad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Autoantibodies - blood; Biomarkers - blood; Celiac; Celiac Disease - blood; Celiac Disease - diagnosis; Celiac Disease - epidemiology; Celiac Disease - immunology; Chi-Square Distribution; Cross-Sectional Studies; disease; Epidemiology; Female; GTP-Binding Proteins - immunology; Health Status Disparities; Health Surveys; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Linear Models; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Odds Ratio; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Prospective Study; Risk Factors; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Serology; Sex Factors; Transglutaminases - immunology; United Arab Emirates - epidemiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1007-9327; 2219-2840
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i42.15830

AIM:To determine celiac disease(CD)prevalence and associated manifestations or risk factors in healthy adult Emiratis.METHODS:It is a cross-sectional prospective study,recruiting 1197(573 women and 624 men)healthy Emiratis between September 2007 and April 2008among those who went to Al Ain Hospital to undertake the prenuptial examination.Test for anti-tissue transglutaminase(tTG)IgA antibodies was used for CD diagnosis.Subjects with positive results in the anti tTG antibodies assay were also tested for anti-endomysial(EMA)IgA antibodies.A structured interview was used to collect basic demographic and clinical recall data including:information on name,contact address,age,gender,education status,previous diagnosis of CD,diagnosis of CD in 1st degree relatives and history of"chronic diarrhea,anemia,headache,hepatitis,diabetes,tumor,and thyroid disorder".RESULTS:Fourteen blood samples(1.17%;14/1197)were seropositive for CD.The latent CD seropositive patients were 13 women and 1 man and therefore the seroprevalence of CD was 1:86(14/1197)for adult Emiratis:1:44(13/573)for women and 1:624 for men.Binary logistic regression revealed that history of chronic anemia(crude OR=7.09;95%CI:2.32-21.61;P=0.003)and being a woman(OR=14.46;95%CI:1.89-110.91;P=0.001)were associated with CD seropositivity.Whereas,the thyroid disorder showed a positive association with CD seropositivity that approach statistical significance(OR=11.30;95%CI:1.32-96.95;P=0.09)and therefore was included in the multiple logistic regression analysis,which showed that CD seropositivity is independently associated only with history of chronic anemia(OR=4.58;95%CI:1.45-14.48;P=0.01)and being a woman person(OR=10.47;95%CI:1.33-82.14;P=0.026).CONCLUSION:Compared to men the CD seroprevalence among women was remarkably higher.The CD association with women and chronic anemia is of importance from a public health perspective.