Linear growth and skeletal maturation in subjects with treated celiac disease.

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to report on the long-term growth and development in a group of treated patients with celiac disease.

METHODS

The study includes 26 patients (11 boys and 15 girls) with typical celiac disease who were younger than 2.5 at diagnosis and were followed by means of a growth longitudinal monitoring from the introduction of a gluten-free diet (mean age, 1.7 +/- 0.5 years) until adulthood, over a median period of 15.3 years. Growth indicators used were: height, skeletal age, weight and BMI.

RESULTS

At the time of admission, the patients had a general tendency to short stature, underweight and retarded skeletal maturation. They did not catch up completely in height and skeletal age after a dietary treatment period of 3 years. Most of them were seen to be slightly below average height for age during childhood and adolescence with skeletal maturity retardation, even if a fairly large interindividual variation of height profiles was evident.

CONCLUSIONS

Notwithstanding the early treatment, the careful follow-up, and the good adhesion to the dietary rules of the patients under study, slight negative effects of the disease on growth were not avoided.