The Prevalence of Growth Variations Among Pediatric Celiac Disease Patients at the Time of Diagnosis

Background and aim Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disorder caused by sensitivity to dietary gluten. Celiac patients typically present with malabsorption and low growth parameters; however, studies have shown that the presentation of celiac disease can have a higher percentage of patients with normal or high growth parameters and no signs of malabsorption. The study aims to estimate the prevalence of the growth variation found in children with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease at the time of diagnosis. Methods We included 31 biopsy-confirmed pediatric celiac patients diagnosed from 2007 to 2018 in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients' height, weight, and BMI at the time of diagnosis were converted to z-scores and growth percentiles according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts. In addition, patients' comorbid conditions were also recorded. Results At the time of diagnosis, 45.16% of our patients presented as underweight, 41.94% of patients had normal weight, 6.5% were overweight and obese, respectively. The mean BMI was 15.44 (+/- 3.65). Our population had a statistically significant lower BMI, height, and weight mean z-scores at the time of diagnosis. Conclusion A significant number of children diagnosed with celiac disease in our center had low weight, height, and BMI at the time of diagnosis. However, we emphasize that having normal growth parameters does not rule out the diagnosis of celiac disease.