Résumé:
Celiac disease is different from food allergy, but both of them cause damage to the small intestine. Celiac disease is the consequence of an autoimmune reaction against dietary gluten, whereas food allergy is defined as a loss or lack of acquisition of immunological tolerance to food allergens.
The objective of our study is to compare the epidemio-biochemical profile of subjects suffering from celiac disease to that of subjects with a food allergy resident in the region of Mostaganem.
This retrospective descriptive study was carried out over a 45-day period, involving patients with celiac disease, selected on the basis of histological criteria (duodenal biopsies), and those with food allergy, selected on the basis of serological criteria (confirmed specific IgE antibodies), presenting at the Ain Tadless public hospital and the Salamandre local public health establishment, Mostaganem. The average age of our patients (n=27) was 13.66 ± 2.63 years with a sex ratio (F/M) of 1.07. Socio-demographic and clinical data for each disease were collected by a questionnaire comprising 22 questions addressed to all cases. Biochemical profile including liver, lipid and renal parameters, complete blood count (FNS), C-reactive protein, direct bilirubin and blood group was determined.
The epidemio-clinical profile revealed a predominance of the female sex in celiac patients compared to a male predominance in allergic subjects with a much higher frequency in children than in adults. Weight loss with a body mass index lower than 18.5 kg/cm2 was observed in both populations. Biochemical profile showed that our celiac patients as well as those with food allergies presented respectively an O+ blood group, anemia and an increase in direct bilirubin. The inflammatory process was more marked in the celiac population. A hepatic abnormality reflected by an increase in the level of transaminases (TGO and TGP) was noted only in celiac patients. Comparative analysis showed that celiac disease is characterized by a marked alteration of the biochemical profile compared to food allergy.
