The Frequency of Celiac Disease in Turkish Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency of celiac disease (CD) in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods: This prospective study was conducted from October 2015 to March 2017. A total of 71 patients with CF and 73 age- and sexmatched healthy children were included in the study. All groups were evaluated for CD with regard to clinical and laboratory findings. First, total IgA and tissue transglutaminase IgA (tTG IgA) levels were measured. Anti-endomysium IgA antibodies (EMAs) were analyzed for those patients with positive tTG IgA. Gastroduodenoscopy was performed to patients with both positive tTG and EMA IgA. Results: Only 8 (11.2%) patients had tTG IgA positivity, whereas 4 (5.6%) patients had positive EMA. The pathological results were consistent with the Marsh 2 classification score in two patients. In addition to that, HLA-DQ2 is present in those two patients. Those patients were accepted as potential CD. Two patients who were thought to have potential CD were reassessed after 1 year, and celiac screening tests were detected as positive again. Conclusion: Only 2 (2.8%) of 71 patients with CF were diagnosed with potential CD. Our study results showed that there might be an association between CD and CF.