Psychological Medicine

Table of Contents - 1983 - Volume 13, Issue 02  

Research Article

Improvement in central monoamine metabolism in adult coeliac patients starting a gluten-free diet

Claes Hallerta1 c1 and Göran Sedvalla1

a1 Department of Internal Medicine, Central Hospital, Växjö, and the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

Adult coeliac patients taking a gluten-free diet for one year showed an increase of 33% in the concentrations in CSF of major monoamine metabolites (5-HIAA, HVA and MOPEG). Tryptophan in CSF rose by 10%. There was concomitant morphological improvement in the jejunal mucosa, and the results would seem to indicate that the reduced central monoamine metabolism in untreated adult coeliacs is not primarily genetically determined but is probably related to the poor intestinal absorption.

Correspondence:

c1 Address for correspondence: Dr Claes Hallert, Department of Internal Medicine, Central Hospital, S-351 85 Växjö, Sweden.

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