Efficacy of gluten-free diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

• Published in: Reumatismo Vol. 72; no. 4; pp. 213 - 217
• Main Authors: Bruzzese, V, Scolieri, P, Pepe, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Italy PAGEPress Publications 18.01.2021
• Subjects: Arthritis, Rheumatoid - drug therapy; Autoimmune Diseases; celiac disease; Diet, Gluten-Free; Drug therapy; Food allergies; Gluten; Gluten-free diet; Humans; Inflammation; non-celiac gluten sensitivity; Rheumatoid arthritis
• ISSN: 0048-7449; 2240-2683
• DOI: 10.4081/reumatismo.2020.1296

Recent research has increasingly shown that depending on the foods we eat, gut flora may be affected by an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response, thus playing an important role in inflammatory autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gastroenterological disorders. Gluten seems to be a glycoprotein with a clinically relevant inflammatory effect. Several observational studies and anecdotal cases reported a correlation between gluten and various diseases, including autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. This study aimed to evaluate whether gluten-free diet could be effective in controlling inflammation and ongoing rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. We report 4 cases of patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis with no response to several conventional and biotechnological drugs, treated with a gluten-free diet concurrently with the drug therapy. Our patients presented different degrees of response to the diet, in terms of disease remission and improvement of symptoms. Our cases confirm that a gluten-free diet may improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, even in patients resistant to conventional drug therapies.