title: Screening for coeliac disease in preschool Greek children: the feasibility study of a community-based project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of the prevalence of coeliac disease (CD) in Greek paediatric population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The project consists of two parts: (i) a pilot study of preschool children aged 2-6 years to test the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of community-based screening and (ii) a CD prevalence study, by random clustered sampling and proportionate stratification of various geographical areas in Greece. Trained nonmedical staff performed a rapid immunochromatographic test to detect IgA antibodies to tTG-IgA and IgA deficiency. Toddlers with positive results were referred to a paediatric gastroenterologist for further assessment with serum anti-tTG IgA and EMA-IgA. Children with positive serum anti-tTG and anti-EMA underwent upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy and small bowel biopsy and were subsequently in gluten-free diet.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this project participated 1136 toddlers, who were tested at school. The prevalence of positive rapid anti-tTG screening was 1:154, of IgA deficiency 1:120 and of biopsy-proven CD 1:154. The prevalence of CD from this pilot study served as expected prevalence value for sample size calculation for the main prevalence study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This protocol using rapid immunochromatographic test for the detection of both IgA deficiency and CD is easy to be performed by nonmedical staff in a community setting, enabling the accurate identification of new CD cases among asymptomatic population.
authors.affiliation: Christos Mantzoros Clinical Nutrition Lab, Nutrition and Dietetics Department, School of Food Technology and Nutrition, Technological Education Institute, Thessaloniki, Greece. thomaiskl@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Thomai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karagiozoglou-Lampoudi
authors.forename: Aglaia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zellos
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vlahavas
authors.forename: Yota
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kafritsa
authors.forename: Eleftheria
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roma
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papadopoulou
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fotoulaki
authors.forename: Stavroula
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karyda
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Xinias
authors.forename: Afroditi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savvidou
mesh_terms: D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D000091345:Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D000091345:Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2; D011503:Transglutaminases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins