Open AccessScreening of celiac disease in Down syndrome - Old and new dilemmas
Author(s) -
Momčilo Pavlović,
Karolina Berenji,
Marko Bukurov
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
world journal of clinical cases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.368
H-Index - 10
ISSN - 2307-8960
DOI - 10.12998/wjcc.v5.i7.264
Subject(s) - medicine , asymptomatic , disease , diarrhea , malabsorption , anemia , coeliac disease , pediatrics , gliadin , constipation , intensive care medicine , gluten , pathology
Celiac disease (CD) is a common and well defined autoimmune disorder caused by gliadin and related proteins of wheat, rye, and barley. Epidemiologic studies confirmed that CD is highly associated with other autoimmune diseases and with Down syndrome (DS). The symptomatic form of CD in patients with DS is more frequent than asymptomatic forms. However, growth impairment, anemia, intermittent diarrhea, and constipation are symptoms and signs typically of children with DS without CD. Late identification of the disease can lead to various complications, sometimes even very severe. Therefore, systematic screening for CD is essential in the management of children and adolescents with DS. Many medical organizations recommend screening in this group of patients. However, current policy statements vary in their recommendations for screening and there is still a need for establishing uniform diagnostic criteria.