Evaluation of the risk level for celiac disease among adults in semi-rural and urban areas (Moungo and Wouri) in Cameroon: a questionnaire based study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Data on the prevalence of celiac disease are scarce in Cameroon; however, it has been demonstrated that the effectiveness of self-reported questionnaires as a tool for identifying individuals at risk of celiac disease has been established. This study was therefore designed to assess the risk of celiac disease among adults in semi-rural and urban areas (Moungo and Wouri) using self-reported questionnaires. METHODOLOGY: For this purpose, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among individuals over 18 who visited district hospitals. Data were collected through a questionnaire, with scores assigned to calculate risk levels. Associations between risk levels and socio-demographic and health history parameters were analyzed using multivariate methods. RESULTS: Based on the questionnaires results, results 36.6% of urban respondents were classified as moderate risk compared to 75.3% in semi-rural areas. Conversely, 63.4% of urban participants were high risk, while only 0.7% of semi-rural participants fell into this category. Symptoms like vomiting, heartburn, and headaches were linked to a transition from moderate to high risk. Factors such as diarrhea-constipation alternation, enamel hypoplasia, and frequent wheat consumption significantly influenced risk levels. CONCLUSION: These findings represent potential risk of celiac disease based on symptoms and risk factors. This questionnaire-based risk assessment study highlights that a significant proportion of the Cameroonian population could be at risk of developing celiac disease. Therefore, proper diagnostics such as serological testing should be urgently conducted in further studies to confirm these observations.