Atypical manifestation of celiac disease in carriers of HLA mutant gene

Abstract

Annotation. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, which is manifested by enteropathy of the small intestine and is caused by the consumption of gluten-containing foods. According to statistics, the number of patients suffering from this disease has increased by 7.5% recently, which may be due to epigenetic factors and improvements in diagnostic methods of gluten intolerance. Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) gene plays a major role in the pathophysiological development of celiac disease. The function of HLA is an autoimmune response to endogenous and exogenous proteins. The pathogenesis of organ damage is based on an autoimmune reaction that occurs as a result of the entry of gliadin – the main component of gluten – into the organism. The influence of circulating immune complexes (CIC) leads to the appearance of typical and numerous atypical manifestations of the disease. This, in turn, significantly complicates the diagnosis and prescription of the correct treatment, which can ensure the restoration of the structure of the affected organs and improve the quality of life for patients. Atypical manifestations of gluten enteropathy are diverse, including chronic fatigue syndrome, damage to joints, bones, liver, male and female infertility, thyroid gland dysfunction, dermatitis, and tooth enamel structure disorders. Taking into account the importance of this issue, we conducted a systematic review and analysis of sources related to this question. The search was conducted in the scientometric databases PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, mostly over the last three years. In particular, it was found that screening for the specific HLA gene in first-degree relatives of patients with gluten enteropathy allows for an explanation of the exact etiology of possible atypical symptoms - manifestations of celiac disease, and subsequently prescribing a gluten-free diet that leads to the involution of the negative impact of the immune system on target organs. Moreover, this screening will be useful for identifying risk groups because manifestations of celiac disease could be in different ages and have different symptoms.