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Liver transplantation in a child with celiac disease
Author(s) -
PAVONE PIERO,
GRUTTADAURIA SALVATORE,
LEONARDI SALVATORE,
SORGE GIOVANNI,
MINERVINI MARTA IDA,
GRECO FILIPPO,
LA ROSA MARIO,
MARINO IGNAZIO
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2005.03223.x
Subject(s) - medicine , subclinical infection , disease , liver transplantation , gastroenterology , liver disease , population , transplantation , pathology , environmental health
Recently, an atypical form of celiac disease (CD) has been identified, in which gastrointestinal symptoms are less pronounced. Other organs can be more or less severely affected, and the disease might be unrecognized and undiagnosed. In some cases, hypertransaminasemia has been indicated as the first symptom of CD in infancy. A direct relationship between liver damage and glutensensitivity has been proven by the disappearance of biochemical signs and histological lesions of the liver after the initiation of the gluten‐free diet. The present case report is of a 14‐year‐old girl affected by CD and severe hepatic failure who underwent a liver transplant. To our knowledge, this case is the first report of liver involvement related to CD which is so severe as to require a liver transplant in a child. Because most patients with CD remain undiagnosed, and, as observed in the present report, untreated CD with subclinical hepatic involvement can lead to more serious liver disease, a more aggressive diagnostic work‐up for CD in the general population is warranted.