Prevalence of celiac disease in north Indian children.

Abstract

Celiac disease (CD) is being increasingly reported from the wheat-eating population of north India. However, the exact prevalence of CD in children is not known as population screening studies are scarce. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of CD in 400 children, 6 months to 12 years of age attending pediatrics department of a tertiary care hospital in north India. The study population was screened for antitissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies. Endoscopic duodenal biopsy was done in the anti--tTG positive subjects. Four patients were diagnosed with CD as per the modified ESPGHAN criteria. The prevalence of CD thus was 1 %, which was in concordance with screening studies using serological markers conducted in the West.