title: Growth and adult height in atypical coeliac patients, with or without growth hormone deficiency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of a gluten-free diet on growth and adult height, when available, in coeliac children without gastrointestinal symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one coeliac children without gastro-intestinal symptoms were included in the study. The age at diagnosis was 9.50 +/- 3.3 years. Thirty-eight had short stature at diagnosis (< 10th percentile) and 23 had normal stature. Thirty-seven reached adult height.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After beginning the diet an increase in growth velocity was seen in 30 patients (responders) (20 with initial short stature), while in 31 patients (18 with short stature) there was no catch-up growth (non-responders). Bone age at diagnosis was significantly more delayed in the responders than in the non-responders. Target height was significantly higher in children with normal stature at diagnosis than those with short stature. Growth hormone (GH) deficiency was found and confirmed after 6-12 months of diet in 12 of the 38 patients (32%) with short stature. In the group of the 30 'short' patients who attained final height, target height was attained or improved in 12 patients (40%): in eight of the 16 (50%) responders and in four of the 14 (29%) non-responders; in eight (all responders) out of 22 (36%) without GH deficiency, and in four out of eight (50%) patients with GH deficiency treated with GH (all non-responders).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In children in whom coeliac disease is diagnosed because of short stature, a gluten-free diet will be successful if at diagnosis there is a delay of bone age and in the first year of diet there is an evident catch-up growth. When this does not occur, i.e. in half of the patients (18 out of 38), it may be because of an associated and transient GH deficiency. In these patients a period of GH replacement therapy as well as a gluten-free diet may improve their final height.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. salardi@med.unibo.it
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salardi
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cacciari
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Volta
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santoni
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ragni
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elleri
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cicognani
authors.forename: Dino
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vaira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001827:Body Height; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000178:diet therapy*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005983:Glutens; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D005983:Glutens