FREQUENCY OF CELIAC DISEASE AMONG CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC DIARRHEA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
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Keywords
Celiac disease, chronic diarrhea, pediatric gastroenterology, clinical symptoms, serological testing,
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of celiac disease in children with chronic diarrhea.
Methodology: This study was conducted from July 2024 to January 2025. One hundred twenty children aged 5 to 14 years presented with chronic diarrhea lasting for more than four weeks were enrolled. All the patients were examined for celiac disease, CD was diagnosed by serological testing which included immunoglobulin A (IgA) against tissue transglutaminase (tTG) and anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA).
Results: Mean age was 9.31±2.85 years. There were 64 (53.3%) male and 56 (46.7%) female patients. We observed the 20 (16.7%) patients were diagnosed with celiac disease. CD was notably associated with socioeconomic status (P < 0.05), residence (P < 0.05), weight loss (P < 0.05), anemia (P < 0.05), short stature (P < 0.05) and family history of CD (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Celiac disease is a common condition among children with chronic diarrhea, affecting 16.7% children in our study.
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Sardar Khan
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Saidu Medical College, Swat, Pakistan
Salman Mustaan Khan
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Saidu Medical College, Swat, Pakistan
Zahir Said
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Saidu Medical College, Swat, Pakistan
Sajjad Hussain
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Saidu Medical College, Swat, Pakistan
Fazal Wahab
Senior Registrar, Department of Pediatrics, Saidu Medical College, Swat, Pakistan
Shahab Alam Khan
Training Medical Officer, Department of Pediatrics, Saidu Medical College, Swat, Pakistan
