An Investigation Into What Factors Influence Patterns of Clinical Presentation in Adult-Onset Celiac Disease

Introduction Anxiety and depression are common in patients with celiac disease (CD), and many psychosocial explanations have been considered. However, as the gut-brain axis is becoming increasingly understood, biological mechanisms have been proposed, including vitamin or mineral deficiencies and gut inflammation. Aim To investigate associations between anxiety/depression and symptom severity, vitamin status, and gut inflammation in untreated adult patients presenting with a serologic indication of celiac disease. Methods The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Celiac Symptom Index (CSI), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaires were administered to 17 patients over a 14-month period. Duodenal biopsies were obtained to determine histological Marsh scores. Iron, B12, folate, vitamin D, and thyroid function tests were reviewed. Results HADS-Anxiety (HADS-A) scores correlated with symptom severity (rs = 0.62, P = 0.008), but not with any hematological investigations or degree of intestinal inflammation. No patients scored highly for depression. Iron deficiency was the most common deficiency observed (n = 6). Greater symptomatology was associated with female sex (females versus males: average CSI scores, 32.1 versus 23.6; t17 = 2.1, P < 0.05), younger age at presentation (rs = -0.55, P = 0.02), and lower Marsh score (Marsh 0 versus Marsh 3C: mean scores, 36 versus 24.5; t5 = 6.2, P = 0.009). Conclusions The anxiety experienced by patients with CD at presentation is likely a reactive form due to gastrointestinal symptoms rather than a biological process specific to CD. Older patients tend to present less symptomatically, highlighting the need for screening of at-risk individuals. The degree of villous atrophy does not correlate well with clinical presentation. Highly symptomatic patients should be screened for anxiety at presentation.