Prevalence of celiac disease in children with epilepsy.
BACKGROUND
Neurological symptoms have been well-documented in patients with celiac disease, nevertheless, the presumption of a greater prevalence of epilepsy in celiac patients remains controversial.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency of celiac disease in children and adolescents with idiopathic or cryptogenic epilepsy.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study. One hundred pediatric patients with non-symptomatic epilepsy were followed-up at two public pediatric neurology clinics in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Screening for celiac disease was performed by serial measurements of IgA anti-transglutaminase and IgA anti-endomysium antibodies, followed by bowel biopsy in positive cases. HLA DQ02 and DQ08 were investigated in seropositive individuals, assessing the type of seizures, the number of antiepileptic drugs used and the presence gastrointestinal symptoms.


RESULTS
Three (3.0%) patients tested anti-tTG-positive, two with normal duodenal mucosa (Marsh 0) and one with intraepithelial infiltrate (Marsh I). No villous atrophy of the duodenal mucosa (Marsh III) celiac disease was found. Two patients tested positive for HLA DQ02; none were DQ08 positive.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study failed to prove the association between celiac disease and epilepsy.
Departamento de Pediatria Neurológica, Universidade Federal da Bahia, SalvadorBA, Brasil.
Camilo
C
Vieira
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal da Bahia, SalvadorBA, Brasil.
Izabele
I
Jatobá
Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, SalvadorBA, Brasil.
Marília
M
Matos
Departamento de Gastroenterologia e Hepatologia Pediárica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal da Bahia, SalvadorBA, Brasil.
Daniel
D
Diniz-Santos
Departamento de Gastroenterologia e Hepatologia Pediárica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal da Bahia, SalvadorBA, Brasil.
Luciana R
LR
Silva
D000293:Adolescent; D001706:Biopsy; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult