Celiac disease seroprevalence in patients with infertility. A case-control study.

BACKGROUND

Although most patients with celiac disease (CD) have digestive manifestations, in some of them they may be of extraintestinal (atypical) nature, such as chronic anemia, ataxia, and fertility disorders.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of CD-related antibodies in Mexican women with fertility disorders.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Case-control study of women who attended evaluation for fertility disorders in a specialized center. h-tTG-IgA, gliadin IgA II and gliadin IgG II were quantified; titers > 30 IU were considered positive.

RESULTS

One-hundred and seventy-one cases and 171 controls were included; 137 patients (80.1%) had infertility, and 34 (19.9%), sterility. Eight patients (4.6%, 95% CI = 2.3-8.9) had at least one positive marker for CD in comparison with one woman in the control group (0.5%, 95% CI = 0.01-3, p = 0.04, odds ratio = 8.3). Six of the eight patients had unexplained infertility.

CONCLUSIONS

Up to 4.6% of women with infertility had at least one positive marker for CD. As in other parts of the world, screening for CD could be recommended in women with infertility, especially in those with unexplained infertility.