The Frequency of Epileptiform Discharges in Celiac Disease
Sedat Işıkay1, Halil Kocamaz1, Sadettin Sezer1
1Department of Pediatric Neurology, Gaziantep Children's Hospital, Şehitkamil, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Insights
Children with celiac disease show a higher frequency of epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography. Early adherence to a gluten-free diet may reduce these abnormal brain activities.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten ingestion.
- Neurological manifestations, including epileptiform discharges, can occur in celiac disease.
- The frequency of epileptiform discharges in pediatric celiac disease requires further definition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography (EEG) in children with celiac disease.
- To compare EEG findings between children with celiac disease and healthy controls.
- To assess the impact of gluten-free diet adherence on epileptiform activity in celiac disease patients.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study involving 307 children diagnosed with celiac disease and 197 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
- Celiac disease group divided into newly diagnosed (n=216) and gluten-free diet (GFD) adherent (n=91) subgroups.
- All participants underwent a 30-minute, 32-channel electroencephalograph (EEG) recording.
Main Results:
- Epileptiform discharges were significantly more frequent in the celiac disease group (7.8%) compared to controls (0.5%) (P=0.001).
- Among celiac disease patients, newly diagnosed individuals showed a higher rate of epileptiform discharges (9.7%) than those on a GFD (3.3%) (P=0.03).
- A total of 25 patients exhibited epileptiform discharges, with 24 from the celiac disease cohort.
Conclusions:
- Children with celiac disease exhibit an increased susceptibility to epileptiform activities on EEG.
- Regular EEG evaluations are recommended for pediatric patients diagnosed with celiac disease.
- Early and strict adherence to a gluten-free diet may mitigate the occurrence of epileptiform activities in these patients.
Background:
We studied patients with celiac disease to define the frequency of epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography.
Methods:
A total of 307 children with a diagnosis of celiac disease (study group) and 197 age- and sex-matched healthy children as controls (control group) were included in this study. The study group was further divided into newly diagnosed celiac disease patients (n = 216) and patients who were on a gluten-free diet (n = 91) for at least 6 months. Medical histories of all children including age, sex, symptoms, weight, height, physical examination findings, and laboratory data were recorded. All patients underwent an electroencephalograph in a pediatric neurology electroencephalograph laboratory with a 32-channel electroencephalograph for 30 minutes.
Results:
Twenty-five patients were defined to have epileptiform discharges (spike/sharp-wave discharges); 24 (7.8%) of those patients were in the celiac disease group and 1 (0.5%) was in the control group (P = 0.001). Among those 24 patients, 21 (9.7%) were in newly diagnosed celiac disease group and 3 (3.3%) were in the gluten-free diet group (P = 0.03).
Conclusions:
Patients diagnosed with celiac disease are prone to epileptiform activities on electroencephalography and should be evaluated carefully. Moreover, strict adherence to a gluten-free diet early should be advised in those patients with epileptiform activities because it may effectively decrease the occurrence of epileptiform activities.
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