Factors associated with growth disturbance at celiac disease diagnosis in children: A retrospective cohort study

Background: Impaired growth is a well-known complication in celiac disease, but factors associated with it are poorly known. We investigated this issue in a large cohort of children. Methods: 530 children with biopsy-proven celiac disease were included. The participants were divided into two groups on the basis of the presence (n = 182) or absence (n = 348) of growth disturbance at diagnosis. Histological, serological and clinical characteristics were compared between children with growth failure and those with normal growth. Further, patients with growth failure as the sole clinical presentation were compared to those with poor growth and concomitant other symptoms. Results: Children with growth failure were younger (p < 0.001) and had lower hemoglobin (p = 0.016) and higher celiac antibody (p < 0.001), alanine aminotransferase (p = 0.035) and thyroid-stimulating hormone values (p = 0.013) than those with normal growth. Significantly associated with growth failure at diagnosis were age < 3 years (OR 4.3 (95 % CI 2.5-7.5) vs older age), diagnosis before the year 2000 and in 2000-09 (OR 3.1 (1.8-5.4) and OR 1.8 (1.1-2.8) vs diagnosis in 2010-2013), presence of total and subtotal villous atrophy (OR 4.2 (2.5-7.0) and OR 2.0 (1.3-3.2) vs partial atrophy), severe symptoms (OR 3.4 (1.8-6.7) vs mild symptoms) and vomiting (OR 3.1 (1.5-6.3). The presence of abdominal pain reduced the risk (OR 0.5 (0.3-0.7)), while there was no effect of gender, diarrhea, constipation, other chronic diseases and celiac disease in the family. Children evincing poor growth as the sole clinical presentation were older (p < 0.001) and had higher hemoglobin (P < 0.001) and total iron (p = 0.010) values and lower TG2ab values (p = 0.009) than those with growth disturbance and other symptoms. Conclusions: In particular young age and severe clinical and histological presentation were associated with growth disturbance at celiac disease diagnosis. Children with only poor growth are markedly different from those with other concomitant symptoms, suggesting different pathogenic mechanisms.