Gynaecological Disorders in Not-celiac Wheat Sensitivity

Study Purpose

Recruitment Criteria

Accepts Healthy Volunteers Healthy volunteers are participants who do not have a disease or condition, or related conditions or symptoms	No
Study Type An interventional clinical study is where participants are assigned to receive one or more interventions (or no intervention) so that researchers can evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or health-related outcomes. An observational clinical study is where participants identified as belonging to study groups are assessed for biomedical or health outcomes. Searching Both is inclusive of interventional and observational studies.	Interventional
Eligible Ages	15 Years - 65 Years
Gender	Female

More Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

To diagnose NCWS the recently proposed criteria will be adopted. All the patients will meet the following criteria:

- negative serum anti-transglutaminase (anti-tTG) and anti-endomysium (EmA) immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG antibodies.

- absence of intestinal villous atrophy.

- negative IgE-mediated immune-allergy tests to wheat (skin prick tests and/or serum specific IgE detection) - resolution of the IBS symptoms on standard elimination diet, excluding wheat, cow's milk, egg, tomato, chocolate, and other self-reported food(s) causing symptoms.

- symptom reappearance on double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) wheat challenge.

As the investigators previously described in other studies, DBPC cow's milk protein challenge and other "open" food challenges will be performed too. To diagnose CD the standard criteria will be adopted. All the patients will meet the following criteria:

- positive serum anti-transglutaminase (anti-tTG) and anti-endomysium (EmA) immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG antibodies.

- presence of intestinal villous atrophy.

To diagnose IBS the standard Rome II (for retrospective patients) and Rome III (for prospective patients) Criteria will be adopted. None of these subjects improved on an elimination diet without wheat, cow's milk, egg, tomato, or chocolate.

Exclusion Criteria:

For NCWS diagnosis it will be evaluated the following

exclusion criteria:

- positive EmA in the culture medium of the duodenal biopsies, also in the case of normal villi/crypts ratio in the duodenal mucosa.

- self-exclusion of wheat from the diet and refusal to reintroduce it before entering the study.

- other previously diagnosed gastrointestinal disorders.

- other previously diagnosed gynaecological disorders.

- nervous system disease and/or major psychiatric disorder.

- physical impairment limiting physical activity.

Trial Details

Trial ID: This trial id was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, providing information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants with locations in all 50 States and in 196 countries.	NCT03027492
Phase Phase 1: Studies that emphasize safety and how the drug is metabolized and excreted in humans. Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness (whether the drug works in people who have a certain disease or condition) and additional safety data. Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs. Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing, efficacy, or optimal use.	N/A
Lead Sponsor The sponsor is the organization or person who oversees the clinical study and is responsible for analyzing the study data.	University of Palermo
Principal Investigator The person who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the entire clinical study.	Antonio Carroccio, PhD
Principal Investigator Affiliation	University of Palermo
Agency Class Category of organization(s) involved as sponsor (and collaborator) supporting the trial.	Other
Overall Status	Recruiting
Countries	Italy
Conditions The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied.	Non-celiac Wheat Sensitivity

Additional Details

In the last few years, a new clinical entity has emerged which includes patients who consider themselves to be suffering from problems caused by wheat and/or gluten ingestion, even though they do not have CD or wheat allergy. This clinical condition has been named non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), although in a recent article, the investigators suggested the term "non-celiac wheat sensitivity" (NCWS), because it is not known to date what component of wheat actually causes the symptoms. Other areas of doubt in NCWS regard its pathogenesis, while some papers reported intestinal immunologic activation, others linked NCWS to the dietary short chain carbohydrate (fermentable oligo-di-monosaccharides and polyols, FODMAPs) load. The investigators recently demonstrated that higher proportions of patients with NCWS develop autoimmune disorders, are antinuclear antibodies (ANA) positive, and show DQ2/DQ8 haplotypes compared with patients with IBS, supporting an immunologic involvement in NCWS. The clinical picture of NCWS is characterized by combined gastrointestinal (bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation, nausea, epigastric pain, gastroesophageal reflux, aphthous stomatitis) and very different extra-intestinal and systemic manifestations (headache, depression, anxiety, 'foggy mind,' tiredness, dermatitis or skin rash, fibromyalgia-like joint/muscle pain, leg or arm numbness, and anemia). Nowadays, there no data about a possible relationship between gynaecological disorders (i.e. menstrual cycle alterations, vaginitis, recurrent vulvovaginitis, recurrent cystitis, chronic pelvic pain, recurrent pregnancy loss, infertility) and food ingestion and food allergy/intolerance. Therefore, the aims of the present study are to investigate 1) the prevalence and characteristics of gynaecological disorders in NCWS patients compared to CD and IBS controls, and 2) the modification of such disorders in NCWS patients after a gluten (wheat)-free diet.

Arms & Interventions

Arms

Active Comparator: 1. NCWS retrospective patients

The clinical charts of NCWS female patients attending the outpatient centers of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University Hospital of Palermo and the Department of Internal Medicine of the Hospital of Sciacca will be reviewed with a retrospective method. They had all been diagnosed with NCWS between January 2001 and June 2011 and included in a previously published study. These charts included specific sections for associated gynaecological disorders. Incomplete clinical charts will be excluded. All the patients will be evaluated at baseline (i.e. at diagnosis) and after at least a 6-months period of gluten-free diet.

Active Comparator: 2. CD retrospective control patients

To compare the presence and characteristics of gynaecological disorders in NCWS female patients, a control group of CD female patients had been randomly chosen by a computer-generated method from female patients diagnosed during the same period (2001-2011) and age- (+2 years) matched with the NCWS female patients. Similar to NCWS patients, also this control group was asked for gynaecological disorders and the answers reported in the patients clinical charts. All the patients will be evaluated at baseline (i.e. at diagnosis) and after at least a 6-months period of gluten-free diet.

Active Comparator: 3. IBS retrospective control patients

To compare the presence and characteristics of gynaecological disorders in NCWS female patients, a control group of IBS female patients had been randomly chosen by a computer-generated method from female subjects diagnosed during the same period (2001-2011) and age- (+2 years) matched with the NCWS female patients. Similar to NCWS patients, also this control group was asked for gynaecological disorders and the answers reported in the patients clinical charts. All the patients will be evaluated at baseline (i.e. at diagnosis) and after at least a 6-months period of gluten-free diet.

Active Comparator: 4. NCWS prospective patients

The investigators prospectively will survey adult female patients with functional gastroenterological symptoms according to the Rome III criteria, and a suspected diagnosis of NCWS. The patients will be recruited between January 2017 and January 2018 at the same 2 centers. Most of the patients will be referred owing to gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms, the onset of which, they reported, could be related to wheat ingestion. In addition, patients will be asked about the presence and characteristics of gynaecological disorders using an ad hoc questionnaire. All the patients will be evaluated at baseline (i.e. at diagnosis) and after at least a 6-months period of gluten-free diet.

Active Comparator: 5. CD prospective control patients

To compare the presence and characteristics of gynaecological disorders in NCWS female patients, a control group of CD female patients will be randomly chosen by a computer-generated method from female subjects diagnosed during the same period (2017-2018) and age- (+2 years) matched with the NCWS female patients. Similar to NCWS patients, also this control group will be asked for gynaecological disorders and the answers reported in the patients clinical charts. All the patients will be evaluated at baseline (i.e. at diagnosis) and after at least a 6-months period of gluten-free diet.

Active Comparator: 6. IBS prospective control patients

To compare the presence and characteristics of gynaecological disorders in NCWS female patients, a control group of IBS female patients will be randomly chosen by a computer-generated method from female subjects diagnosed during the same period (2017-2018) and age- (+2 years) matched with the NCWS female patients. Similar to NCWS patients, also this control group will be asked for gynaecological disorders and the answers reported in the patients clinical charts. All the patients will be evaluated at baseline (i.e. at diagnosis) and after at least a 6-months period of gluten-free diet.

Interventions

Other: - Gluten free diet

The investigators will evaluate the modification of gynaecological disorder after a gluten (wheat)-free diet.

Contact a Trial Team

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International Sites

Sciacca, Agrigento, Italy

Status

Recruiting

Address

Department of Internal Medicine, Giovanni Paolo II Hospital of Sciacca

Sciacca, Agrigento, 92019

Site Contact

Antonio Carroccio, MD, PhD

acarroccio@hotmail.com

+390916554347

Palermo, Italy

Status

Recruiting

Address

Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Palermo

Palermo, , 90129

Site Contact

Pasquale Mansueto, MD

pasquale.mansueto@unipa.it

+390916554347

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