Subclinic cardiac involvement in paediatric patients with celiac disease: a novel sign for a case finding approach.

The aim of the present work was to assess the prevalence of early cardiac involvement in children with celiac disease (CD), and the impact of a gluten free diet (GFD) on this issue. Sixty CD children was compared with a control group of 45 healthy children by an echocardiographic examination. CD patients were re-evaluated 1-year after 1-year GFD. Main outcome measures were ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVDD), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVSD), any regurgitating valve lesions. Mild cardiac involvement was found in 13 CD children and in one control (21.7% vs. 2.2%; p=0.003), and was secondary to regurgitation of mitral valve, aortic valve, pulmonary and tricuspid valve, or to impaired ejection fraction. CD children as compared to controls had significantly lower contractility indices, and higher left ventricular dimensions. In patients adhering to the GFD all valve regurgitations resolved, and the echocardiographic parameters significantly improved. Subclinical cardiac involvement in CD children is quite frequent, and GFD may exert a beneficial effect on the overall cardiac performance.