Malnutrition Symptoms Common in Children with Celiac Disease

Celiac.com 02/10/2022 - Researchers know that celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten in genetically susceptible people, which, left untreated, can lead to chronic malabsorption and other disorders. 

However, the ways in which celiac disease manifests in clinical setting has changed over time. Today classic symptoms are more rare, while many patients, especially children, manifest atypical symptoms, or no symptoms at all.

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Considering the changes in the manifestations of celiac disease, a team of researchers recently set out to determine anthropometric indices and clinical indications in children with celiac disease.

The research team included Zahra Setavand, Maryam Ekramzadeh, and Naser Honar. They are variously affiliated with the Neonatal Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; the Nutrition Research Center, Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, and the Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

The team's cross-sectional study aimed to assess children with celiac disease who were referred to Imam Reza Celiac Clinic between 2016 and 2019. 

In all, the team identified 361 children, and noted their anti-tissue transglutaminase (TGA-IgA) level, weight, height, and Body Mass Index (BMI) from their records. They presented anthropometric indices based on the criteria of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), along with assessing the main symptoms.

Using CDC criteria, nearly twenty percent of the children had short stature, nearly thirty percent had low body weight, and more than twenty-five percent had low BMI. 

Furthermore, in addition to gastrointestinal symptoms, numerous patients suffered from skeletal pain and anemia. The most common symptoms among the children were abdominal pain in nearly 60 percent, skeletal pain in nearly 30 percent, constipation in more than twenty-five percent, and anemia in nearly twenty-five percent.

The team's findings clearly show that growth failure, low height, weight, and BMI were common among children with celiac disease. 

Stay tuned for more on this and related stories.

Read more in BMC Pediatrics volume 21, Article number: 147 (2021)