Prospective, double-blind diagnostic study of confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) for wheat sensitivity (WS) in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Christian Bojarski
• Subject Area: Gastroenterology
• Term: from 2016 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 276697502

The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects about 12% of the population in Northern Europe. Up to one third of patients fulfilling the Rome III criteria of IBS may be wheatsensitive and respond to a gluten-free diet (GFD) although they do not have celiac disease. However, a diagnostic test for wheat sensitivity (WS) is missing. In this diagnostic accuracy study the predictive ability of confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) to discriminate between patients with and without WS will be evaluated. Nonceliac patients fulfilling the Rome III criteria for IBS will be tested by CLE for wheatinduced changes (index test). IBS patients responding to GFD will be classified as having WS (reference test). Our study aims to establish CLE as a reliable diagnostic tool to identify WS in IBS patients who would profit long-term from GFD as a causative treatment. Furthermore, the establishment of a diagnostic tool for WS would greatly facilitate future investigations into the pathogenesis and treatment of this complex disorder.

• DFG Programme: Clinical Trials
• Participating Person: Dr. Reiner Ullrich