Screening of celiac disease among children with type one diabetes mellitus in Rapareen teaching hospital for children in Erbil City

Abstract

Background:

Celiac disease is autoimmune disorder characterized by immune mediated damage to the lining of small intestinal resulting from the consumption of gluten. A significant occurrence of Celiac disease is recorded in multiple autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes mellitus. Both disorders are associated with genetic loci on short arm of chromosome six. Aim of study: To determine the frequency of Celiac disease among a group of children diagnosed with type one diabetes mellitus.

Patients and methods:

A prospective observational cross sectional study conducted in Pediatric Endocrinology Clinics of Rapareen teaching hospital for children in Erbil City-Kurdistan region /Iraq through the period of six months from 01 July 2024 to 01 January 2025. 100 children and adolescent with type one diabetes mellitus were involved in the study ageing less than 18 years old.

Results:

 From 100 patients with type one diabetes, 7% diagnosed with celiac disease were confirmed by duodenal biopsy and one patient with positive serology but duodenal biopsy was normal. The risk will be higher among diabetic children with anemia ,growth failure ,poorly controlled diabetes and positive consanguinity compared to non-celiac children, with the strongest associations observed for short stature (RR 6.64) and weight loss (RR 4.98).

Conclusions:

This research indicates a 7% prevalence of celiac disease confirmed by biopsy among children and adolescents with type one diabetes in Erbil city. The risk is higher in those with growth failure, anemia or poorly controlled diabetic patients and those with duration of diabetes more than 3 years.