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Fibromyalgia and non-celiac gluten sensitivity: a description with remission of fibromyalgia.

Rheumatology international
November 1, 2014
Carlos Isasi et al. (8 authors)
Journal ArticleMulticenter StudyHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether a gluten-free diet could improve symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia who did not have celiac disease but showed gluten sensitivity.

Results Summary

The study found that 20 patients with fibromyalgia and non-celiac gluten sensitivity experienced symptom improvement, including remission of pain, return to normal life, or discontinuation of opioids, after adopting a gluten-free diet. The mean follow-up period was 16 months.

Population

20 patients with fibromyalgia and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (negative for celiac disease via anti-transglutaminase assay and duodenal biopsy).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Mean follow-up of 16 months (range 5-31 months)

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (5)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
gluten-free diet
decrease
fibromyalgia syndrome
20 selected patients with FM without celiac disease
-
improved
#1
gluten-free diet
decrease
FM pain criteria
20 selected patients with FM without celiac disease
-
remission
#2
gluten-free diet
increase
work status
20 selected patients with FM without celiac disease
-
return to work
#3
gluten-free diet
increase
life function
20 selected patients with FM without celiac disease
-
return to normal life
#4
gluten-free diet
decrease
opioids
20 selected patients with FM without celiac disease
-
discontinuation
#5
Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome is a disabling clinical condition of unknown cause, and only symptomatic treatment with limited benefit is available. Gluten sensitivity that does not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for celiac disease (CD) is increasingly recognized as a frequent and treatable condition with a wide spectrum of manifestations that overlap with the manifestations of FM, including chronic musculoskeletal pain, asthenia, and irritable bowel syndrome. The aim of this report was to describe 20 selected patients with FM without CD who improved when placed on a gluten-free diet. An anti-transglutaminase assay, duodenal biopsy, and HLA typing were performed in all cases. CD was ruled out by negative anti-transglutaminase assay results and absence of villous atrophy in the duodenal biopsy. All patients had intraepithelial lymphocytosis without villous atrophy. Clinical response was defined as achieving at least one of the following scenarios: remission of FM pain criteria, return to work, return to normal life, or the discontinuation of opioids. The mean follow-up period was 16 months (range 5-31). This observation supports the hypothesis that non-celiac gluten sensitivity may be an underlying cause of FM syndrome.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultAgedBiopsyDiet, Gluten-FreeDuodenumFemaleFibromyalgiaFood HypersensitivityGlutensHumansLymphocytosisMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsRemission InductionRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsSpainTime FactorsTreatment Outcome
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality60/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations31
Citations/Year2.8
Relative Citation Ratio1.48
NIH Percentile64.5%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score1.42
Normalized Score0.62
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