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Increasing incidence of childhood celiac disease in Sicily: results of a multicenter study
Author(s) -
Magazzú G,
Bottaro G,
Cataldo F,
Iacono G,
Donate F Di,
Patane R,
Cavataio F,
Maltese I,
Romano C,
Arco A,
Rotolo N,
Bragion E,
Traverso G,
Greco L
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1994.tb12987.x
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , pediatrics , diarrhea , disease , cohort , cumulative incidence , physics , optics
By screening the patient list of four Sicilian centers of gastroenterology and those with gluten‐free product consumption, 1074 patients (607 females and 467 males) with celiac disease, diagnosed between 1975 and 1989, were identified. A maximum cumulative incidence rate by birth cohort was reached in 1986 (1.65/1000). When the incidence rate was adjusted for the years of follow‐up, the actual standardized rate was 3 cases per 1000 live births. Growth failure and chronic diarrhea were the most common symptoms, but a diminishing trend for chronic diarrhea was observed when symptoms were distributed by year of diagnosis. Even though 61.1% of all cases were diagnosed within six months from the onset of symptoms, mean age at diagnosis showed an increasing trend, from less than two years to approximately four years of age. The results of our study showed an increasing incidence of celiac disease due to diagnosis of less typical cases at an older age and also to a steady increase in the rate of diagnosis of cases with a classic clinical picture.