The prevalence of growth hormone deficiency and celiac disease in short children.
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.
Giovenale
Diletta
D
Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche, Università degli Studi di Pavia, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italia.
Meazza
Cristina
C
Cardinale
Giuliana M
GM
Sposito
Maddalena
M
Mastrangelo
Costanzo
C
Messini
Beatrice
B
Citro
Giuseppe
G
Delvecchio
Maurizio
M
Di Maio
Salvatore
S
Bozzola
Mauro
M
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
D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D005983:Glutens