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The overweight: a rare presentation of celiac disease

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 70, pages 282–284 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

We describe the nutritional status of a cohort of celiac disease (CD) children at presentation and during follow-up on gluten-free diet (GFD). Two Italian centers (Rome and Bari) prospectively enrolled 445 biopsy-confirmed CD children, diagnosed between 2009 and 2013. Body Mass Index was used as a measure of nutritional status according to Italian growth charts of Cacciari. The overweight/obese subject was 7.8% at onset and did not significantly increase during follow-up (9.8% at final assessment). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was significantly higher among males than females. Furthermore, overweight/obesity children as compared with those with normal weight were significantly older and had significantly lower levels of tTG antibodies. This study shows that some CD children are obese/overweight at diagnosis; therefore, overweight/obesity can be considered a rare but a possible mode of CD presentation. Thus, CD diagnosis must be considered even in overweight/obese children where this diagnosis can be easily missed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gastroenterology-Hepatology and Nutrition Unit, ‘Bambino Gesù’ Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy

    T Capriati, M Ancinelli & A Diamanti

  2. Gastroenterology Unit, Pediatric Clinic of University, Bari, Italy

    R Francavilla

  3. Hepato-Metabolic Diseases Unit, ‘Bambino Gesù’ Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy

    F Ferretti

  4. Department of Pediatrics, San Paolo Hospital, Bari, Italy

    S Castellaneta

Authors
  1. T Capriati
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  2. R Francavilla
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  3. F Ferretti
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  4. S Castellaneta
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  5. M Ancinelli
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  6. A Diamanti
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Correspondence to A Diamanti.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Capriati, T., Francavilla, R., Ferretti, F. et al. The overweight: a rare presentation of celiac disease. Eur J Clin Nutr 70, 282–284 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.169

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.169

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