Ujjal Poddar, Babu Ram Thapa, Chander Kanwal Nain, Arun Prasad, Kartar Singh

Celiac Disease in India: Are They True Cases of Celiac Disease?

  • Gastroenterology
  • Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
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ABSTRACTBackgroundIn a developing country, many conditions other then celiac disease (CD) can give rise to villous atrophy. We therefore assessed the role of immunoglobulin A (IgA)–antigliadin antibody (AGA) in addition to the ESPGHAN criteria in the diagnosis of CD in 104 Indian children.MethodsConsecutive children with suspected CD were evaluated over 3 years with an intention to diagnose CD. Complete hemogram, d‐xylose absorption test, endoscopic duodenal biopsy, and IgA–AGA titers were performed in all. CD was diagnosed on the basis of modified ESPGHAN criteria irrespective of IgA–AGA positivity (>5 U/mL), and those diagnosed were put on gluten‐free diet and were monitored regularly. Children with suspected CD who had a normal duodenal biopsy result were taken as controls.ResultsThe mean age of 50 children with CD was 6.3 ± 2.6 years, with a male to female ratio of 3:2. The mean duration of symptoms was 3.4 ± 2.2 years. Predominant symptoms were pallor in 96%, failure to thrive in 92%, and diarrhea in 80%. On follow‐up (19.6 ± 8 months), symptoms subsided within 16 ± 9.8 days, and patients showed significant weight gain (mean weight at diagnoses and at last follow‐up visit were 66% and 86% of expected, respectively;P < 0.001) and height gain (mean height at diagnoses and at last follow‐up visit were 88% and 94% of expected, respectively;P = nonsignificant). The control group comprised 47 children with a mean age of 6.9 ± 3 years. On comparing CD with controls, diarrhea, anemia, low weight, and stunting were significantly (P < 0.001) more frequent in patients with CD. Sensitivity and specificity of AGA at a cutoff value of 5 U/mL were 94% and 91.5% and at 10 U/mL 88% and 100%, respectively. Follow‐up AGA test was performed in 42 of 47 positive cases. All showed significant decrease in AGA titer, and 29 (70%) had a negative test result.ConclusionsIndian children with CD are true cases of CD. They present late, diarrhea is absent in 20% of cases, and AGA test results show 88% of children without false‐positive results at a cutoff value of 10 U/mL. However, AGA test with 94% sensitivity at a cutoff value of 5 U/mL can be used as screening test to select suspected cases for further workup.

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