Table 2. Results of subgroup analyses.
| p | Recovery ratios | Number of studies (n) | I2 across groups | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete mucosal recovery | ||||
| Children vs. adults | <0.01* | 0.65 (0.44–0.85) vs. 0.24 (0.15–0.33) | 7 vs. 8 | 99.0% |
| Strict vs. non-strict/uncertain gluten-free diet | 0.39 | 0.47 (0.24–0.70) vs. 0.33 (0.23–0.45) | 12 vs. 26 | 95.6% |
| Strict adherence with at least 12-month gluten-free diet vs. others | 0.32 | 0.44 (0.26–0.64) vs. 0.33 (0.23–0.44) | 10 vs. 27 | 95.7% |
| Patients followed up for 12 months vs. others | 0.70 | 0.38 (0.28–0.48) vs. 0.36 (0.27–0.45) | 7 vs. 30 | 98.3% |
| Length of gluten-free diet (high vs. low risk) |
0.91 | 0.34 (0.20–0.52) vs. 0.33 (0.24–0.44) | 10 vs. 27 | 95.0% |
| Assessment of adherence (high vs. low vs. uncertain risk) |
0.25 | 0.62 (0.27–0.88) vs. 0.33 (0.23–0.44) vs. 0.29 (0.17–0.45) | 3 vs. 22 vs. 12 | 95.1% |
| Marsh vs. Marsh-Oberhuber classification | 0.76 | 0.31 (0.18–0.47) vs. 0.34 (0.22–0.47) | 13 vs. 18 | 95.7% |
| Prospective vs. retrospective design | 0.86 | 0.34 (0.23–0.48) vs. 0.33 (0.20–0.47) | 19 vs. 14 | 95.4% |
| Disappearance of villous atrophy | ||||
| Children vs. adults | 0.05# | 0.74 (0.57–0.90) vs. 0.58 (0.45–0.71) | 11 vs. 10 | 96.5% |
| Strict vs. non-strict/uncertain gluten-free diet | 0.06# | 0.72 (0.60–0.84) vs. 0.66 (0.59–0.72) | 17 vs. 40 | 92.8% |
| Strict adherence with at least 12-month gluten-free diet vs. others | 0.08# | 0.77 (0.67–0.85) vs. 0.66 (0.60–0.72) | 14 vs. 43 | 92.9% |
| Patients followed up for 12 months vs. others | 0.03* | 0.54 (0.41–0.67) vs. 0.67 (0.60–0.73) | 12 vs. 45 | 97.5% |
| Length of gluten-free diet (high vs. low vs. uncertain risk) |
0.68 | 0.70 (0.56–0.81) vs. 0.65 (0.59–0.71) vs. 0.58 (0.34–0.79) | 10 vs. 44 vs. 3 | 92.9% |
| Assessment of adherence (high vs. low vs. uncertain risk) |
0.60 | 0.59 (0.33–0.81) vs. 0.64 (0.56–0.71) vs. 0.69 (0.60–0.76) | 4 vs. 27 vs. 26 | 92.9% |
| Initial histology (high vs. low vs. uncertain risk) |
0.09# | 0.73 (0.64–0.80) vs. 0.61 (0.54–0.65) vs. 0.70 (0.58–0.80) | 12 vs. 32 vs. 9 | 92.9% |
| Marsh vs. Marsh-Oberhuber classification | 0.39 | 0.71 (0.59–0.81) vs. 0.65 (0.55–0.73) | 12 vs. 21 | 94.6% |
| Prospective vs. retrospective design | 0.13 | 0.63 (0.56;0.70) vs. 0.72 (0.63–0.79) | 36 vs. 17 | 92.9% |
* indicates statistical significance (p<0.05).
# indicates borderline significance (0.10>p≥0.05).