title: The prevalence of growth hormone deficiency and celiac disease in short children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the occurrence of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in patients with celiac disease (CD) referred for short stature.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, multi-center study. A total of 7066 children with short stature were referred to a number of centers for second-line evaluation over a 5-year period. All patients were screened for CD by antiendomysial antibodies (EMA) and antitissue transglutaminase IgA. Those with positive sera underwent intestinal biopsy. The EMA-negative patients and the EMA-positive ones who did not grow after 1 year of gluten-free diet underwent endocrinological investigation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 7066 short children (age 2-14 years) evaluated, 650 (9.2%) had GHD and 44 (0.63%) had CD. An association of both CD and GHD was found in 16 short children (0.23%); these children did not grow after 1 year of gluten-free diet and therefore GH treatment was started.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GH secretion should be evaluated in celiac patients showing no catch-up growth after an appropriate period on a gluten-free diet in spite of reversion to seronegativity for EMA.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche, Università degli Studi di Pavia, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italia.
authors.forename: Diletta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giovenale
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meazza
authors.forename: Giuliana M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cardinale
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sposito
authors.forename: Costanzo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mastrangelo
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Messini
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Citro
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delvecchio
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Maio
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozzola
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000178:diet therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005983:Glutens / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D005983:Glutens