Liver Steatosis and Fibrosis in Non-Celiac Wheat Sensitivity Patients: a Prospective Study

Hypothesizing an intestinal barrier impairment as a common pathophysiological substrate of both Non Celiac Wheat Sensitivity (NCWS) and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MAFLD), in a retrospective cohort study (data not yet published), demographic, clinical, laboratory and histology data of NCWS patients at the time of diagnosis, were analyzed and compared to control subjects with Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Functional Dyspepsia (IBS/FD) and freshly diagnosed Celiac Disease (CeD). NCWS diagnosis was performed by a double-blind placebo-controlled wheat challenge. Steatosis was confirmed by ultrasound examination. Our retrospective data showed that the frequency of liver of steatosis was lower in NCWS than in IBS patients. In addition, it seems that pre-diagnosis avoidance of wheat in NCWS correlates with protection from steatosis. A subset of NCWS patients, recently exposed to wheat, with clinical features suggesting increased IP, seems to be predisposed to liver steatosis and fibrosis. To validate the results of the retrospective study, the researchers planned the present prospective study, to analyze the prevalence of liver steatosis and fibrosis, evaluated by ultrasound (US) examination, FibroScan analysis \[CAP (Controlled Attenuation Parameter) and LSM (Liver Stiffness Measurement) values\], FIB-4 (Fibrosis-4) index, and NFS \[Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) Fibrosis Score\], in patients with NCWS at the time of diagnosis, comparing them with two control populations of newly diagnosed IBS/FD and CeD patients.