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Prevalence of celiac disease in children with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy
Mozhgan Zahmatkeshan1, Mahsa Fallahpoor2, Hamid Amoozgar3
1Transplant and Neonatology Research Center.
Insights
Screening for celiac disease (CD) in children with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is beneficial. A small percentage of DCM patients showed potential CD, highlighting the need for early diagnosis in this group.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Gastroenterology
- Immunology
Background:
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and celiac disease (CD) can co-occur, but research in children is limited.
- Early diagnosis of CD improves prognosis, particularly in children with chronic conditions like DCM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of celiac disease (CD) in pediatric patients diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
- To investigate the association between CD and DCM in children.
Main Methods:
- 82 children (41 with DCM, 41 healthy controls) aged 1-18 were screened for CD using anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) antibody levels.
- Positive or borderline antibody results prompted intestinal biopsy for histopathological confirmation.
- Data were analyzed using SPSS with t-tests and Pearson correlation.
Main Results:
- 2.5% of DCM patients had potential CD (positive anti-tTG, negative biopsy).
- 17% of DCM patients had borderline anti-tTG antibody levels.
- A direct correlation was found between patient age and anti-tTG levels.
Conclusions:
- Screening for celiac disease is recommended in children with unexplained dilated cardiomyopathy.
- Early detection and management of CD can positively impact outcomes for children with DCM.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of celiac disease (CD) in the patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Simultaneous presentation of these two diseases has been recently reported in some studies; however, few researches have been done on children. The sooner CD is diagnosed, the better the prognosis will be, especially in the patients with a chronic disease like DCM.
Methods:
In this study, 82 cases were screened for CD by measuring the level of anti-body against transglutaminase (anti tTG). These cases included 41 patients with DCM labeled according to clinical evaluation and echocardiography and 41 healthy children who had been referred for routine checkup. All the patients were between 1 and 18 years old. The expired patients and those with previous diagnosis of CD were excluded from the study. Besides, the patients with positive antibody results underwent intestinal biopsy to match the serology findings with histopathology of CD in the intestine. Finally, the data were analyzed by the SPSS statistical software (v. 16) and through t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient.
Findings:
According to the findings, 1/41 (2.5%) DCM cases had positive tTG antibody level and negative intestinal biopsy which is classified as potential CD in the children with DCM. In addition, 7/41 (17%) patients had borderline anti body level. A direct correlation was observed between age and anti tTG level.
Conclusion:
It is beneficial to assess CD in DCM children with unknown cause.
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