RESUMO
studies about the prevalence of celiac disease [CD] in Arab countries are rare, moreover there is no previous study on the prevalence of CD in Syria. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic CD among a sample of a clinically healthy Syrian population. Patients and from June 2002 to December 2002, anti-human tissue transglutaminase IgA [tTG] titers were measured in the serum of 400 apparently healthy subjects [194 males, 206 females, mean age 30 years, range 6-66 years]. All subjects who had positive serological tests were asked to undergo small intestinal biopsy. The biopsy samples were classified according to Marsh criteria. of the 400 subjects, 8 subjects [2%, aged 9-42 years] had positive antibody tests. The diagnosis of CD was confirmed in 6 subjects [1.5%] by small intestinal biopsies that were read as compatible with gluten sensitive enteropathy. Four had mucosal jejunal morphology of Marsh III, one had Marsh II, one had Marsh I, and two individuals refused to undergo mucosal biopsy. None of the subjects had symptoms suggestive of CD, and none of them had family members with known CD. in this sample of Syrian population, the prevalence of asymptomatic CD was at least 1.5%. Further epidemiological studies in the general population and high-risk groups are indicated