Impact of an Active Patient Education Programme on GastrointestinalSymptoms in Women with Celiac Disease Following a Gluten-free Diet : Randomized Controlled Trial

• Despite living with a gluten-free diet Swedish women with celiac disease report a higher rate of gastrointestinal symptoms than women without the disease. This study was designed to assess the impact of active patient education on gastrointestinal symptoms in women with a gluten-free diet. A total of 106 Swedish women, > 20 years, with celiac disease on a gluten free diet for minimum five years took part in a randomized, controlled trial. The intervention group (n=54) underwent a ten-session educational program “Celiac School”, based on problem-based learning. Controls (n=52) were sent information regarding celiac disease at home. Outcome measure was gastrointestinal symptoms at ten weeks and six months after intervention, assessed with the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale. After ten weeks “Celiac school” (p=0.013) the participating women reported significant improvements that remained six months later (p=0.029). The controls did not improve significantly. A comparison of the development of scores, from baseline to 10 weeks, could not demonstrate a significant difference in the overall index between the two groups but showed a significant improvement concerning one of its components, namely the index reflecting Abdominal Pain (p= 0.007). Intervention methods should be refined in order to reach an even more pronounced effect.

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