The Impact of a Gluten-Free Diet on Celiac Disease: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Two Cases Using NIH Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMIS, NTCB, and Neuro-QoL)

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the gluten-free diet (GFD) for celiac disease (CD) in a multidisciplinary outpatient Gastroenterology clinic with two adult cases using the innovative, paradigm-shifting measurement systems: The NIH Patient reported outcome measures (PROs). CD results in gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, but is also associated with other inflammatory responses, psychosocial impairment, and cognitive deficits such as “brain fog.” Adherence to the GFD for 6 months was associated with improvement in specific GI symptoms in one case (PROMIS-GI; Case 2) and improvement in cognitive functioning (NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery) and psychosocial functioning (Neuro-QOL) in both cases. Notably, improvement in cognitive flexibility occurred in both younger and an older adult patient. This suggests that cognitive decline and the psychosocial deficits associated with CD are reversible with GFD. The NIH PROs were found to be effective, sensitive to change, and minimally disruptive to clinic operations.