ABSTRACT
To determine the prevalence of celiac disease [CD] in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus [T1DM] using anti-tissue transglutaminase [anti-tTG] antibodies. A retrospective hospital record-based study of all children and adolescents with T1DM who were screened for CD was conducted at the Pediatric Diabetes Clinic of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA] between October 2002 and June 2011. A total of 430 children with T1DM were screened by anti-tTG antibody. The median age at screening was 10.7 years [range; 1.1-18]. The study cohort included 232 [54%] Saudi patients, and females constituted 58.8% of the total number. Anti-tTG antibody screening was positive in 91 [21.2%] patients. Forty-eight [11.2%] out of 430 children screened had biopsy-proven CD. Forty-two patients with CD [87.5%] were asymptomatic. Patients with CD had less weight for age [p=0.007], and height for age [p=0.03] z-scores than non-CD patients. They showed more association with anemia [p<0.001], low albumin level [p<0.001], and autoimmune thyroid disease [p=0.002]. There was no difference in the mean glycosylated hemoglobin level [p=0.38], or insulin requirements [p=0.74] between the 2 groups. The prevalence of CD in patients with T1DM from the Western region of KSA is considered among the highest reported. Therefore, routine screening through proper serological testing is recommended.
ABSTRACT
To determine the pattern of gastrointestinal stromal tumors [GIST] in the population of 2 large tertiary centers in the western province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA]. This retrospective study used cases diagnosed as GIST at the histopathology laboratories of King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital between January 2000 and October 2009, and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, KSA, between January 2002 and December 2008. Additionally, cases diagnosed as gastrointestinal spindle cell tumors, sarcomas, schwannomas, leiomyomas, and leiomyosarcomas at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital between January 1995 and December 1999 prior to the introduction of CD117 immunostain testing in the lab were tested for it. Positive cases were included in the study. Age and gender of the patients, as well as tumor location, maximum diameter, and mitotic count were analyzed. Thirty-seven cases were found in which the mean age was 55.6 years. Nineteen tumors were located in the stomach [51.4%], 7 in the small bowel [18.9%], 2 in the colorectum [5.4%], 4 in the mesentery [10.8%], and 5 in the abdomen [13.5%]. Fifteen cases [40.5%] were high risk, 13[35.2%] were intermediate risk, 3 [8.1%] were low risk, and one case [2.7%] was very low risk for aggressive behavior. The GISTs are more prevalent in Saudi Arabia than is generally thought. Most cases occurred in male adults over 40 years of age. The stomach is the most frequent location of occurrence. Most tumors are the high-risk group