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  • Title: Liver dysfunction in celiac disease.
    Author: Volta U.
    Journal: Minerva Med; 2008 Dec; 99(6):619-29. PubMed ID: 19034259.
    Abstract:
    Although the spectrum of liver abnormalities associated with celiac disease is particularly wide, two main forms of liver damage, namely cryptogenic and autoimmune, appear to be strictly related to gluten-sensitive enteropathy. The most frequent occurrence is a cryptogenic hypertransaminasemia, present in about a half of untreated celiac patients, as an expression of a mild liver impairment characterised by a histological picture of non specific reactive hepatitis (celiac hepatitis) reverting to normal after a few months of gluten withdrawal. In a few cases, a more severe liver injury leading to chronic hepatitis or liver cirrhosis is present. In these patients liver damage can still improve after a gluten-free diet institution. In addition, a close association between celiac disease and autoimmune liver disorders has been largely demonstrated. Indeed, 3%-7% of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, 3%-6% with autoimmune hepatitis and 2-3% with primary sclerosing cholangitis are affected by celiac disease. Autoimmune liver dysfunction, found in celiac disease, does not usually improve after gluten-free-diet. Presently, it is difficult to establish if the two main kinds of liver injury found in celiac disease (cryptogenic and autoimmune) are discrete entities with a different pathogenesis or if they are an expression of the same disorder where genetic factors and duration of gluten exposure may determine the severity and the pattern of liver injury.
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