RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Coeliac disease is characterized by a wide array of clinical presentations. The focus of our study was to comprehensively assess the clinical manifestations of coeliac disease in newly diagnosed children in Slovenia. Our objectives include estimating the incidence of the disease in children in 2022. METHODS: In this prospective study, Slovenian paediatric gastroenterologists were invited to provide patient data using medical records of children under 19 diagnosed with coeliac disease from March 2021 to October 2023. Patient data were collected through a dedicated web-based form adapted from the CD SKILLS project, including data on clinical manifestations and laboratory results. Furthermore, the study included an estimation of the incidence of coeliac disease in children and adolescents in Slovenia in 2022. RESULTS: Analysis involved data from 160 children and adolescents (median age: 8 years; 61.9% female). Overall, 16.9% were asymptomatic at diagnosis and 29.4% belonged to a high-risk group for coeliac disease. Among symptomatic cases (Nâ =â 133), abdominal pain was the leading symptom (44.4%), followed by anaemia (12.0%) and diarrhoea (10.5%). Malabsorption symptoms were more prevalent in very young children. Anaemia was found in 22.8 and 10.7% had abnormal alanine aminotransferase levels. The estimated incidence of coeliac disease in Slovene children in 2022 was 17.5/100â 000. CONCLUSION: Abdominal pain emerged as the primary symptom of coeliac disease in children and adolescents, except in very young children where malabsorption symptoms were predominant. Our observation of a lower prevalence of abnormal liver function tests suggests subclinical coeliac disease may be less common in children. Moreover, the calculated coeliac disease incidence in Slovenia aligns with existing data.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is primarily acquired in childhood and is notably influenced by socioeconomic variances across different geographical regions. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of H. pylori infection in Slovenian children and to identify potential risk factors that facilitate the infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2019 and 2022, we conducted a multi-center prospective cross-sectional study among healthy children residing in three different administrative regions in Slovenia. H. pylori infection status was determined using a monoclonal antibody-based stool antigen test (SAT). A standardized questionnaire was designed to evaluate the influence of various H. pylori-associated risk factors, including demographics and socioeconomic, housing and sanitation conditions. RESULTS: During the 3-year period, we recruited a total of 421 children and adolescents (age range 2-18 years, mean age 10.29 ± 4.95 years). Overall, 46 (10.9%) were diagnosed with H. pylori infection. No associations were found between H. pylori prevalence rates and increasing age, sex, parental education level, country of birth of the child or their parents, number of household members, household income, having a dishwasher, owning a pet, duration of breastfeeding, fruit intake frequency, drinking tap water, and handwashing practices. The only parameters associated with an increased risk of infection were the location of the school (p < 0.001) and living in an urban area (p = 0.036). The odds of infection were approximately 4.77 times higher if the child attended school in the Central Slovenian compared to other regions (OR = 4.77; 95% CI 0.87-2.34). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study providing information on the prevalence of H. pylori infection among Slovenian children and adolescents. Using SAT, we have shown that the burden of H. pylori infection in our pediatric population is low; however, it seems to depend on regional rather than socioeconomic factors.
