Table 2 Selected laboratory tests and bone mineral density in coeliac patients on a normal diet (mean (SD (% of abnormal))).
| Normal value | Total cohort (n = 61) | Latent (n = 13) | Silent (n = 48) | p Value latent vs silent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haemoglobin (g/dl) | 13–15.5 | 13.1 (1.4 (44%)) | 13.5 (1.6 (62%)) | 13.0 (1.4 (58%)) | NS |
| Serum ferritin (µg/l) | 20–290 | 47 (65 (50%)) | 57 (61 (67%)) | 44 (66 (54%)) | NS |
| Serum albumin (g/l) | 30–50 | 44.5 (5.6 (0%)) | 42.7 (4 (0%)) | 44.0 (5 (0%)) | NS |
| Serum folic acid (µg/l) | 2.5–12 | 6.1 (3.4 (23%)) | 7.4 (2.9 (18%)) | 5.8 (3.5 (24%)) | NS |
| Serum vitamin B12 (pg/ml) | 180–915 | 419 (195 (6%)) | 405 (215 (0%)) | 422 (192 (8%)) | NS |
| Serum Ca2+ (mmol/l) | 2.25–2.60 | 2.28 (0.12 (32%)) | 2.28 (0.09 (31%)) | 2.28 (0.13 (32%)) | NS |
| Serum AST (IU/l) | <35 | 23.3 (11 (8%)) | 17.9 (3.7 (0%)) | 25.1 (12 (8%)) | <0.03 |
| Serum ALT (IU/l) | <45 | 27.7 (21 (11%)) | 20.6 (8.7 (8%)) | 30 (24 (15%)) | NS |
| BMD (g/cm2): lumbar spine | Age‐ and sex‐ dependent | 0.94 (0.10) | 0.99 (0.08) | 0.93 (0.11) | NS |
| BMD: total femoral bone | 0.89 (0.13) | 0.97 (0.12) | 0.88 (0.13) | <0.04 | |
| BMD: femoral neck | 0.81 (0.12) | 0.88 (0.10) | 0.78 (0.12) | <0.03 | |
| No. of patients with osteopenia/osteoporosis on at least one site/no. of studied (% of abnormal) | 25/42 (60%) | 1/9 (11%) | 23/33 (70%) | <0.001 |
Latent, patients with no atrophy; silent, patients with villous atrophy.
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate transaminase; BMD, bone mineral density; NS, non‐significant.