Celiac Disease Patients Now Typically Asymptomatic at Diagnosis

With the advent of modern screening tests and increased awareness of celiac disease, the clinical profile of newly diagnosed pediatric patients has changed. Most are school-age and asymptomatic, having been referred for screening on the basis of their high-risk status. Dr. Grzegorz Telega, and colleagues reviewed the medical records of the patients diagnosed with celiac disease at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin between 1986 and 2003. According to their paper in the February Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the annual number of patients diagnosed with celiac disease increased from 1 in 1986 to 93 in 2003, with a total 143 over that period. Dr. Telega and associates recommend that "primary care physicians implement screening programs in all high-risk populations," including patients with a family history of celiac disease and those with Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, type 1 diabetes, thyroiditis, and Addison disease. Screening is also appropriate for patients with short stature, iron deficiency anemia, and high transaminase levels. "A high level of suspicion for celiac disease should be entertained in other autoimmune disorders," the authors add, even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms.

Bonnie - my thoughts exactly.