Non-responsive celiac disease in children on a gluten free diet.

BACKGROUND: Non-responsive celiac disease (NRCD) is defined as the persistence of symptoms in individuals with celiac disease (CeD) despite being on a gluten-free diet (GFD). There is scant literature about NRCD in the pediatric population. AIM: To determine the incidence, clinical characteristics and underlying causes of NRCD in children. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study performed at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH). Children < 18 years diagnosed with CeD by positive serology and duodenal biopsies compatible with Marsh III histology between 2008 and 2012 were identified in the BCH's Celiac Disease Program database. Medical records were longitudinally reviewed from the time of diagnosis through September 2015. NRCD was defined as persistent symptoms at 6 mo after the initiation of a GFD and causes of NRCD as well as symptom evolution were detailed. The children without symptoms at 6 mo (responders) were compared with the NRCD group. Additionally, presenting signs and symptoms at the time of diagnosis of CeD among the responders and NRCD patients were collected and compared to identify any potential predictors for NRCD at 6 mo of GFD therapy. RESULTS: Six hundred and sixteen children were included. Ninety-one (15%) met criteria for NRCD. Most were female (77%). Abdominal pain [odds ratio (OR) 1.8 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-2.9], constipation (OR 3.1 95%CI 1.9-4.9) and absence of abdominal distension (OR for abdominal distension 0.4 95%CI 0.1-0.98) at diagnosis were associated with NRCD. NRCD was attributed to a wide variety of diagnoses with gluten exposure (30%) and constipation (20%) being the most common causes. Other causes for NRCD included lactose intolerance (9%), gastroesophageal reflux (8%), functional abdominal pain (7%), irritable bowel syndrome (3%), depression/anxiety (3%), eosinophilic esophagitis (2%), food allergy (1%), eating disorder (1%), gastric ulcer with Helicobacter pylori (1%), lymphocytic colitis (1%), aerophagia (1%) and undetermined (13%). 64% of children with NRCD improved on follow-up. CONCLUSION: NRCD after ≥ 6 mo GFD is frequent among children, especially females, and is associated with initial presenting symptoms of constipation and/or abdominal pain. Gluten exposure is the most frequent cause.

Lack of Follow-up of Pediatric Patients With Celiac Disease.

Celiac disease (CD) is often diagnosed in childhood, and the treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD).1,2 It may take several years to gain competence in the skills required to follow a GFD successfully. Inadequately treated CD is associated with bone fractures, nutritional deficiencies, and lymphoma.3,4 Healthcare providers are key resources for patients with CD. Consultation with a dietitian with GFD expertise at diagnosis and annual disease-specific follow-up care are recommended.2,5 The primary objective of this study was to evaluate adherence to guidelines for dietitian consultation and follow-up for children with CD. A secondary objective was to identify factors associated with loss to follow-up.

Red Spot Lesions in the Duodenal Bulb Are a Highly Specific Endoscopic Sign of Celiac Disease: A Prospective Study.

We have recognized red spot lesions (RSLs) in the duodenal bulb in children with celiac disease (CD) and believe they may represent an underappreciated and distinct endoscopic sign of CD. A total of 171 pediatric patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy with duodenal biopsy for symptoms consistent with CD were prospectively recruited. There were 75 patients who met criteria for CD and the remaining 96 patients served as symptomatic controls. As compared to endoscopic markers frequently mentioned in literature, RSLs had comparable sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 31%, 94%, 80%, and 64%, respectively. If RSLs are noted during endoscopy in a patient with gastrointestinal symptoms that might be the result of CD, then sufficient duodenal biopsies to make the diagnosis of CD should be obtained.

Creation of Experience-based Celiac Benchmarks: The First Step in Pretransition Self-management Assessment.

OBJECTIVES: Transition planning for children with chronic disease includes the development of independence in many self-management tasks. Conditions that depend on diet have distinct skill sets not well assessed by the traditional transition-readiness tools. There has been literature that describes age-appropriate skill acquisition for diabetes and food allergy patients. There are, however, no age-appropriate benchmarks established for celiac disease (CD). METHODS: CD experts (including physician, nurse, dietician, social worker, patient, and parent) created a list of celiac-related tasks, which formed the basis of the survey. Patients with CD, and their parents, were recruited from outpatient celiac clinic and support groups, and invited to report the age each task was mastered. RESULTS: Respondents included 204 patients and 155 parents. Mean age was 12 years (standard deviation 4.6) with average of 4 years since diagnosis. The earliest tasks were mastered by a median age of 8 years, such as recognizing GF as gluten-free, eating safely in a shared space and recognizing basic unsafe foods. Describing the effects of eating gluten or explaining CD to a friend or stranger occurred around age 10. Asking about gluten-free preparation in a restaurant, and identifying gluten-free medications or vitamins was mastered around age 12, whereas tasks involved with safe domestic travel or assessing risk in a job environment occurred between 14 and 16. The interquartile range was about 4 years for each question. No significant difference seen between patient and parent reports. CONCLUSIONS: This novel patient-centered celiac skill list may improve anticipatory guidance and accelerate self-management skills.

Value of IgA tTG in Predicting Mucosal Recovery in Children With Celiac Disease on a Gluten-Free Diet.

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to determine the rate of mucosal recovery in pediatric patients with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet. We also sought to determine whether immunoglobulin A tissue transglutaminase (tTG) correlates with mucosal damage at the time of a repeat endoscopy with duodenal biopsy in these patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of 103 pediatric patients, younger than 21 years, with a diagnosis of celiac disease defined as Marsh 3 histology, and who underwent a repeat endoscopy with duodenal biopsy at least 12 months after initiating a gluten-free diet. RESULTS: We found that 19% of pediatric patients treated with a gluten-free diet had persistent enteropathy. At the time of the repeat biopsy, tTG was elevated in 43% of cases with persistent enteropathy and 32% of cases in which there was mucosal recovery. Overall the positive predictive value of the autoantibody tTG was 25% and the negative predictive value was 83% in patients on a gluten-free diet for a median of 2.4 years. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 1 in 5 children with celiac disease in our population had persistent enteropathy despite maintaining a gluten-free diet and immunoglobulin A tTG was not an accurate marker of mucosal recovery. Neither the presence of symptoms nor positive serology were predictive of a patient's histology at the time of repeat biopsy. These findings suggest a revisitation of monitring and management criteria of celiac disease in childhood.

Multicenter study on season of birth and celiac disease: evidence for a new theoretical model of pathogenesis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether season of birth is associated with celiac disease (CD). STUDY DESIGN: We performed a medical record review of 1964 patients with biopsy-proven CD at 3 teaching hospitals (2 pediatric centers and 1 adult center) between 2000 and 2010. The first positive small intestinal biopsy result defined age of diagnosis. The observed proportions of births in each season (spring [March-May], summer [June-August], fall [September-November], and winter [December-February]) were compared with the expected proportions using binomial probability tests. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 9.8 ± 5.0 years in the 2 pediatric centers and 43.6 ± 15.8 years in the adult center. The cohort was predominately female (69%). Overall, more patients were born in spring (27%) than in any other season: summer (25%), fall (25%), and winter (23%). In patients diagnosed before age 15 years, the spring birth excess was present in boys (33%; P = .0005), but not in girls (26%; P = .43). The sex difference in season of birth was less striking in patients with CD diagnosed at age ≥15 years. CONCLUSION: Season of birth is an environmental risk factor for CD, particularly in boys diagnosed before age 15 years. The results are consistent with a new theoretical model that integrates potential environmental factors (eg, gluten introduction, ultraviolet-B exposure, vitamin D status) and acute viral gastrointestinal infections in early childhood.

Variability of histopathological changes in childhood celiac disease.

OBJECTIVES: Adult studies of celiac disease (CD) have shown that duodenal mucosal histopathological changes may be patchy, and the diagnostic utility of duodenal bulb biopsies is believed to be limited. Few related pediatric data exist. METHODS: We assessed the prevalence of variable biopsy findings and duodenal bulb involvement in children with CD, as well as its association with clinical parameters. A total of 198 consecutive cases of CD diagnosed at the Children's Hospital during 2001-2005 were analyzed. All biopsies were scored by a pathologist blinded to the clinical data using the Marsh criteria. Mucosal changes were classified as focal if changes consistent with CD and normal mucosa were found within a single biopsy fragment. Patchiness was defined as variation of at least one Marsh grade between separate fragments in a biopsy set. RESULTS: The median age was 9.3 years; 62% were female. An average of 3.6 biopsy samples was obtained per case. In 101 cases, biopsy samples were obtained from the duodenal bulb and the second portion of the duodenum. Focality was present in biopsy samples collected from 36 (18%) cases. Patchiness was found in 105 (53%) cases, and at least 1 normal biopsy fragment was present in 71 (36%) cases. In 10 cases, only the bulb biopsies were diagnostic of CD. There was no association with the clinical features examined. CONCLUSIONS: Duodenal involvement in pediatric CD is frequently patchy and may show variable severity even within a single biopsy fragment. Variability cannot be predicted by clinical characteristics. Multiple endoscopic biopsies, including the duodenal bulb, should be obtained in suspected pediatric CD cases to maximize diagnostic yield.