AlNababteh Asma H, Tzivinikos Christos, Al-Shamsi Saif, Govender Romona Devi, Al-Rifai Rami H
Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Front Pediatr. 2023 Jul 18;11:1197612. doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1197612. eCollection 2023.
Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder that is provoked by the consumption of gluten in genetically vulnerable individuals. CD affects individuals worldwide with an estimated prevalence of 1% and can manifest at any age. Growth retardation and anemia are common presentations in children with CD. The objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of CD in multiple "at risk groups" and to characterize children with CD, presented to a tertiary hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The study reviewed medical charts of all patients <18 years who had received serologic testing for CD. The study was conducted at Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital in Dubai, UAE, from January 2018 to July 2021. Extracted information from medical records included sociodemographics, laboratory findings, clinical presentation, and any associated co-morbidities. The European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) criteria were used to identify patients with CD.
During the study period, 851 paediatric patients underwent serological screening for CD, out of which, 23 (2.7%) were confirmed with CD. Of the 23 patients diagnosed with CD, 43.5% had no gastrointestinal symptoms. Diabetes type 1 (30.4%) followed by iron deficiency anaemia (30%) and Hashimoto thyroiditis (9%) were the most commonly associated comorbidities. The prevalence of CD among paediatric patients with autoimmune thyroiditis (12.5%) was 1.92-times higher than that among paediatric patients with diabetes type 1 (6.5%).
The results of this study show that almost three out of every 100 paediatric patients who were screened for CD were confirmed to have the condition. These findings highlight the importance of screening children who are at risk or present symptoms suggestive of CD, to ensure early diagnosis and appropriate management.
乳糜泻（CD）是一种自身免疫性疾病，在基因易感性个体中，食用麸质会引发该病。CD影响着全球各地的人群，估计患病率为1%，可在任何年龄出现。生长发育迟缓与贫血是患有CD的儿童的常见症状。本研究的目的是评估多个“高危群体”中CD的患病率，并对就诊于阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）迪拜一家三级医院的CD患儿进行特征描述。
本研究回顾了所有接受过CD血清学检测的18岁以下患者的病历。该研究于2018年1月至2021年7月在阿联酋迪拜的Al Jalila儿童医院进行。从病历中提取的信息包括社会人口统计学、实验室检查结果、临床表现以及任何相关的合并症。采用欧洲儿科胃肠病、肝病和营养学会（ESPGHAN）标准来确定CD患者。
在研究期间，851名儿科患者接受了CD血清学筛查，其中23例（2.7%）被确诊为CD。在这23例被诊断为CD的患者中，43.5%没有胃肠道症状。1型糖尿病（30.4%）、缺铁性贫血（30%）和桥本甲状腺炎（9%）是最常见的合并症。患有自身免疫性甲状腺炎的儿科患者中CD的患病率（12.5%）比患有1型糖尿病的儿科患者中CD的患病率（6.5%）高1.92倍。
本研究结果表明，每100名接受CD筛查的儿科患者中，近3人被确诊患有该病。这些发现凸显了对有风险或出现提示CD症状的儿童进行筛查的重要性，以确保早期诊断和适当治疗。
