For a study, researchers wanted to determine if the Celiac Dietary Adherence Test (CDAT) could help determine adherence to a gluten-free diet in celiac disease patients, as well as to evaluate the diet adherence and well-being of a study population 5 years after a celiac disease screening known as “Exploring the Iceberg of Celiacs in Sweden.”At the age of 12, 90 adolescents (born in 1997) were diagnosed with biopsy-proven celiac disease as a result of the screening. 70 (78%) of them attended a 5-year follow-up when anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies 2 were tested and a questionnaire, including the CDAT, which comprises 7 items about adherence, was filled out. To determine the relationships between adherence metrics, nonparametric testing was performed.

Five years following screening, 86% of the teenagers followed a gluten-free diet, 38% evaluated their overall well-being as outstanding, 50% very good, and 12% well. There was a statistically significant relationship between anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies 2 and the CDAT score (P = 0.033), as well as between the self-reported adherence question and the CDAT score (P = 0.001).

Five years following the screening, the screening-detected teenagers reported a good degree of well-being and adherence to a gluten-free diet. They conclude that the CDAT may be utilized in clinical practice to estimate gluten-free diet adherence. It is best utilized in conjunction with current adherence measures, but it may also be employed as a stand-alone strategy when others are unavailable.

Reference:journals.lww.com/jpgn/Fulltext/2019/11000/Celiac_Dietary_Adherence_Test_simplifies.14.aspx

Author