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Recent pediatric studies have suggested a role for viral infections in celiac disease (CD). Investigators in Norway performed a case-control study nested within a birth cohort of children with the HLA-DQ2/DQ8 genotype, which confers increased risk for celiac disease.
Approximately 900 patients were followed, with monthly stool samples collected from age 3 months to 36 months and regular blood collection until age 10. Of 220 patients evaluated for CD at a mean age of 9.9 years, 27 had CD, 25 of whom were matched with 2 healthy controls. All stool specimens were tested for adenovirus and enterovirus.
Enterovirus-positive stool samples were found before development of CD antibodies in 20% of cases and 15% of controls (adjusted odds ratio, 1.49; …