Use of elafin in celiac disease.

Celiac disease (CD) is a gluten-sensitive enteropathy that develops in genetically susceptible individuals with permanent intolerance to wheat gliadin. CD is characterized by the presence of typical, though not specific, histopathological changes in the small intestinal mucosa. Reported CD prevalence among different countries varies between 1:70 and 1:200. Non-diarrheaassociated forms (silent, oligosymptomatic, or atypical CD) are the major mode of presentation. Gluten withdrawal is highly effective for most patients, but the necessity of a lifetime gluten-free diet (GFD) makes the diagnosis challenging because of the various presentations encompassed by the disease (1-3).