Yasin Sahin1,2
- Clinics of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Gaziantep Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Medical Faculty, Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University, Gaziantep, Turkey
- Corresponding Author:Yasin Sahin; E-mail: ysahin977@gmail.com
Abstract
Backgrounds
Malnutrition in children is a significant public health issue. Various factors that can cause malnutrition include inadequate intake, inadequate digestion, inadequate absorption, increased demand, and increased catabolism. Celiac disease (CD) also causes malnutrition as a result of inadequate digestion. The number of studies investigating seroprevalence of CD in children with malnutrition is limited. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of CD among Syrian refugee children with malnutrition.
Methods
The current study was conducted between January and December 2023. All children with malnutrition, who receiving enteral nutrition were included. The children’s age and sex, body weight, height upon admission were recorded. Tissue transglutaminase antibody IgA test (tTG IgA) and total IgA test were used to diagnose CD in all patients. Gastroduodenoscopy was planned to be performed in all seropositive children to diagnose CD.
Results
Of the 329 patients, 179 (54.4%) were female. The mean age of patients was 5.82 ± 4.17 years. The median tTG IgA value was 2 IU/L (0.4-200.0). The seroprevalence of CD was found to be 3.34% (11/329), 9 of them had been receiving enteral feeding for at least 6 months. Gastroduodenoscopy was not performed on most of the patients because they could not be reached due to communication problems (the phone number was wrong or not in the system, etc.). But 2 of them was diagnosed without biopsy according to the ESPGHAN 2020 guidelines for diagnosing CD.
Conclusions
We detected higher seroprevalence of CD in children with malnutrition compared to general population. Beacuse celiac disease is a chronic multi-systemic illness, early detection of CD is critical to avoiding long-term consequences. Therefore, screening for CD should be an essential part of work-up in all Syrian refugee children with malnutrition. We hereby recommend verifying the contact information of refugee patients at the time of application.
Keywords: celiac disease, malnutrition, no-biopsy approach, Syrian refugee children