Intakes of nutrients and nutritional status in coeliac patients.

BACKGROUND

The intake of nutrients and the nutritional status of untreated coeliac patients and coeliac patients in remission were investigated at Kuopio University Hospital.

METHODS

Forty untreated and 52 coeliac patients in remission were admitted to the study. The control group included 77 persons. Four-day food records, anthropometric measurements, and blood biochemistry were examined to obtain nutrient intake and nutritional status.

RESULTS

Concentrations of serum ferritin, vitamin B12, and erythrocyte folate were lower in patients with untreated coeliac disease than in those in remission. Altogether, 15-38% of the untreated patients but only 0-20% of the patients in remission had levels of haemoglobin, serum ferritin, iron, vitamin B12, or erythrocyte folate below the reference values. No difference in anthropometric measurements was found between the two groups of coeliac patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Except for some subclinical abnormal values in biochemical analyses in 20-38% of coeliac patients, nutritional status was quite normal in both groups of coeliac patients.