Non-celiac gluten sensitivity: approaches to differential diagnosis and potential biomarkers

Abstract

The aim of this review was to highlight current approaches to the diagnosis of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. A literature search was performed in PubMed, NCBI (National Library of Medicine), Scopus, and Embase databases using the following key words: “non-celiac gluten sensitivity”, “non-celiac wheat sensitivity” combined with “diagnostics”, “biomarkers”. The selection criteria used were English, human research, and clinical trials. Only articles published in peer-reviewed journals were included in the study. The disadvantages of the currently available diagnostic protocol, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, were presented, among them the difficulties of differential diagnosis in the first step and the problems of gluten provocation in the second. Potential biomarkers were introduced, the determination of which may eventually become an alternative to the current approach. Key words: celiac disease, gluten intolerance, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy, gluten