Kernekoncepter
Celiac disease diagnosis in Italian children is generally prompt, except for cases with atypical symptoms or disease associations, which can lead to delayed diagnosis.
Resumé
The study examined the diagnostic delay of celiac disease in the Italian pediatric population and the factors associated with it. The results showed that the median diagnostic delay was 5 months, with about 18.5% of patients experiencing an extreme delay of over 11 months.
Key insights:
- Recent guidelines have reduced diagnosis times by allowing diagnosis without endoscopic biopsy in some cases.
- Factors associated with shorter diagnosis times include younger age at diagnosis (under 3 years) and more typical gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Factors associated with longer diagnosis times include atypical symptoms like neurological disorders, gastroesophageal reflux, and growth problems, as well as lack of family history.
- The authors emphasize the importance of paying attention to various clinical manifestations of celiac disease and screening high-risk children, even in the absence of symptoms, to ensure timely diagnosis and management.
Statistik
The median diagnostic delay for celiac disease in Italian children was 5 months.
About 18.5% of patients experienced an extreme diagnostic delay of over 11 months.
Patients diagnosed before age 3 tend to have shorter diagnosis times than other age groups.
Symptoms like neurological disorders, gastroesophageal reflux, and growth problems were associated with a higher risk for extreme diagnostic delay.
Citater
"If individuals with celiac disease do not adhere to a gluten-free diet, they may experience significant clinical manifestations, including iron deficiency anemia, growth delay, weight loss, and diarrhea."
"The manifestations that parents should pay attention to are alterations in intestinal function (both diarrhea and constipation), abdominal pain, weight loss or growth delay, delayed puberty, chronic fatigue, and dental enamel alterations."