Increasing age at diagnosis of celiac disease in Malta

Recent studies have shown that celiac disease is being diagnosed at a progressively later age. This paper analyses trends in age at diagnosis in a closed island population.

Patient case notes of all known patients with celiac disease were retrieved and demographic information, mode of presentation including symptomatology and diagnostic criteria were obtained. Over the period 1985 to 2000, information was available on 42 patients with celiac disease. All were aged 14 years.

The mean age at diagnosis showed an increasing age, with a constant disease incidence. A highly significant positive correlation was found for age at diagnosis with time (rho=0.4, p=0.009).

It is thought that breast feeding, with later introduction of gluten containing products in the diet, leads to a later presentation of celiac disease. In Malta, over the period under study, the breast feeding rate rose from 20% to 60%. Our findings support the hypothesis that breast feeding offers a degree of protection against the early development of celiac disease, without actually reducing the incidence of the disease.