Celiac Disease May Be the Cause of Growth Retardation in Children

The course of growth may also vary according to the age and gender of the child. However, in general, conditions such as extreme weakness, short stature, or excess weight can be defined as growth problems. Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Pediatrics, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Specialist stated that some genetic or hormonal problems or digestive problems may also cause growth problems in children.

Celiac, one of the diseases that cause growth problems in children, is a problem that arises through the interaction of genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. It occurs mostly in dairy children and after gluten intake begins in the 6-24th months of life. Since chronic diarrhea or slime manifests itself with complaints such as defecation, vomiting, abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, muscle weakness, hypotonia, loss of appetite, and malabsorption syndrome, it may not be noticed by parents. Especially in recent years, it has been pointed out in the literature that as a result of examinations made for reasons such as treatment-resistant iron deficiency anemia, recurrent abdominal pain, transaminase elevation, and diarrhea after eating pasta, cases diagnosed with celiac disease have been encountered in obese children.

Beware of These Symptoms

Regarding the symptoms to be considered for celiac disease, Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Pediatric Gastroenterology Specialist explained the following: “It is detected by symptoms such as short stature, delayed puberty, tooth enamel layer disorders, aphthous stomatitis, iron deficiency anemia that does not respond to treatment or whose cause is uncertain, osteoporosis or osteopenic bone diseases, heart muscle disorders such as chronic arthritis, cardiomyopathy, impaired liver function, neurological disorders, as well as complaints suggestive of irritable bowel diseases such as recurrent abdominal pain, nausea-vomiting, swelling, gastroesophageal reflux, and constipation.”

The Incidence Is Increasing All Over The World

Our expert, who said that CD, which was previously thought to be a rare disease in north-western Europe, is very common all over the world today and is seen in different societies around 0.3-1 percent, also added the following about the frequency of the disease:

“With screening studies, the frequency of celiac disease is drawing an increasing curve all over the world. While it is reported between 1/85- 1/300 (average 1/100) in societies of European origin, in regional studies conducted in our country, it was found to be around 1 percent in children and 0.8-1.3 percent in adults and healthy blood donors. In the latest CD screening project carried out in our country, the frequency of CD in school children who appear healthy was found to be 0.47 percent (1/212).

Stating that celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, it is frequently seen together with diseases such as type I diabetes, thyroiditis, Sjogren’s disease, Addison's disease, osteoporosis, primary biliary cirrhosis, Down syndrome, and selective immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency, Yeditepe University Hospital Pediatric Gastroenterology Specialist: "For this reason, individuals with first-degree relatives with CD or other diseases that can be seen with CD should be investigated periodically in terms of CD."

Definitive Diagnosis is Significant

Underlining that it is very important to make a definitive diagnosis of Celiac Disease because the treatment of the disease will last for a lifetime, our specialist gave the following information: "Patients whose clinical findings are thought to have celiac disease are asked for blood tests. In case of positivity in blood tests, an endoscopy is performed, and a biopsy is taken from the duodenum. Pathological examination of this biopsy sample provides a definitive diagnosis of the disease.”

Full Compliance with Treatment is Required

“Treatment is a gluten-free diet that will last a lifetime. Strict adherence to this treatment is important for the prognosis of the disease. There is no alternative treatment yet. However, the most important complications in celiac disease, which continues for a long time without a diagnosis, are the accompanying of other autoimmune diseases with advancing age, and the emergence of malignancies such as osteoporosis, ulcerative jejunoileitis, and T-cell intestinal lymphoma."