The ghrelin-positive cells number is increased in duodenum in children with celiac disease

Ghrelin is predominately produced in the stomach, but new findings indicate that the intestinal wall is an important source of the hormone. In patients with short-bowel syndrome, reduction in the intestinal tissue resulted in a decrease in the circulating ghrelin levels. Since in celiac disease (CD) intestinal mucosa atrophy is the main finding, alterations in duodenal ghrelin-positive cell population can be expected. The aim of the study was to evaluate the density of ghrelin-positive cells in the duodenum of CD children and its relationship with body mass index (BMI) and clinical presentation. The study included 31 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed CD [BMI SD scores (BMISDS) −0.926±1.496]. The control group consisted of 21 children (BMISDS −0.517±1.186], diagnosed with growth retardation, anemia or abdominal pain. All the patients underwent endoscopy with biopsy samples taken from distal duodenum. Immunohistochemistry was performed using rabbit anti-ghrelin (human) antiserum. The number of ghrelin-positive cells in the duodenum was significantly higher in children with CD than in controls (14.82±11.12 vs 5.69±5.02, p<0.0013). The density of ghrelin-positive cells in the duodenum did not correlate with age, pubertal status, BMISDS or clinical presentation. In the duodenum of CD children, the number of ghrelin-positive cells is increased compared with the control patients. The population of ghrelin-positive cells in the duodenum does not simply reflect an altered mucosal morphology or failure to thrive but is under the influence of other conditions.