ABSTRACT
This study was carried out between June 1986 and May 1988 in Berlin (West). In cooperation with 5 Pathological Departments, we prospectively recorded every bioptical diagnosis of total/subtotal villus atrophy (group S) or of partial villus atrophy (group SV). In addition, we registered anamnestic, clinical and laboratory findings from these patients. The diagnosis of coeliac disease was considered verified if the patient showed an unequivocal improvement of his clinical conditions and laboratory findings within three months on a gluten-free diet. In total, 42 patients were registered, among them were 29 with mucosal alterations typical for coeliac disease and 13 whose biopsies showed partial villus atrophy. The diagnosis of coeliac disease could be verified in 28 patients, among them one woman with intestinal lymphoma after longstanding untreated coeliac disease. A second patient with complete villus atrophy had intestinal lymphoma but without preceeding coeliac disease. Our findings show that the incidence of coeliac disease in Berlin is 1 out of 2113 newborn children. This figure is similar to the data reported from France, yet being clearly lower than those from Western Ireland, Switzerland and Sweden. Women are affected twice as often as men. 20 out of 28 patients were children under five years of age. The most common symptoms were meteorism/flatulence, recurrent diarrhea, loss of body weight, or inappropriate growth. 70% of the patients suffered from anaemia, the D-Xylose-test was pathological in 92% of the patients.
