Stratifying risk for celiac disease in a large at-risk United States population by using HLA alleles.

Background & Aims: Susceptibility to celiac disease (CD) is related to HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 alleles and the heterodimers they encode. The objective of this study was to stratify risk for CD on the basis of HLA-DQ genotype.

Methods: DNA from 10,191 subjects who are at risk for CD was analyzed for HLA-DQ haplotypes.

Follow-up of patients with celiac disease: achieving compliance with treatment.

Celiac disease is the only autoimmune condition for which we know the environmental trigger: gluten. Complete removal of gluten from the diet in a patient with celiac disease should result in symptomatic, serologic, and histologic remission. However, compliance with the gluten-free diet, especially in the United States, is extremely challenging.