Cytokine‐producing cells in peripheral blood of children with coeliac disease secrete cytokines with a type 1 profile

Coeliac disease (CoD) is a small intestinal disorder characterized by crypt cell hyperplasia and villous atrophy, and the production of cytokines from T cells and macrophages are of importance for the histological changes seen in CoD. A peroral immunization with an antigen, which gives rise to a mucosal immune response, may increase the levels of circulating cytokine‐producing cells, and we wanted to obtain a better picture of an eventual emergence of activated circulating T cells in the peripheral blood in children with CoD. The cytokine expression of interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ), IL‐4, IL‐6 and IL‐10 was measured at the single‐cell level by an ELISPOT method in 38 children with CoD. The numbers of IFN‐γ‐producing cells in the peripheral blood was increased in children with untreated CoD (P