title: Increased prevalence of silent celiac disease among Greek epileptic children.
abstract: Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy triggered by the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. Many reports mention the association between epilepsy and celiac disease and the occasional presence of occipital corticosubcortical calcifications. We investigated 255 children with idiopathic epilepsy. Evaluation included use of routine, easily obtainable studies. Patients were screened for immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG) antigliadin antibodies and immunoglobulin A antitissue transglutaminase antibodies. Moreover, presence of IgA antiendomysial and antireticulin antibodies was screened. Patients with positive IgA antigliadin antibodies underwent a small intestinal biopsy. Controls consisted of 280 healthy children. Intestinal histopathologic changes, positive IgA antigliadin antibodies or IgG antigliadin antibodies, antireticulin antibodies, and antitissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies were found in five epileptic children but not in control subjects (P = 0.0241). Intracranial calcifications were not found in epileptic children with celiac disease. The findings indicate that prevalence of silent celiac disease is increased among children with idiopathic epilepsy; the type of epilepsy does not appear to play a role. Serum antitissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies could be a good marker for celiac disease screening. Occipital corticosubcortical calcifications are rarer in children with celiac disease and epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: 3rd Pediatric Clinic, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School, Hippocration Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Antigoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mavroudi
authors.forename: Mavroudi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antigoni
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Xinias
authors.forename: Theodouli
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Papastavrou
authors.forename: Papastavrou
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Theodouli
authors.forename: Eliza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karatza
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fotoulaki
authors.forename: Fotoulaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maria
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Panteliadis
authors.forename: Kleomenis
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spiroglou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005903:Gliadin / Q000276:immunology; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012155:Reticulin / Q000276:immunology; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D012155:Reticulin; D005903:Gliadin; D011503:Transglutaminases