High Fetuin-A Levels in Children with Celiac Disease

Fetuin-A is a multifunctional non-collagen protein that plays a role in bone mineralization. Celiac disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the small intestine due to exposure to gluten. In this research, it was aimed to investigate levels of Fetuin-A and its relationship with bone mineral density in children with celiac disease.

The study was conducted on 59 children with celiac and 29 healthy children. The celiac disease group was composed of three groups, newly diagnosed, gluten-free diet compliant and, non- gluten- free diet compliant patients. Serum Fetuin-A concentrations were measured by an enzyme-linked immuno- sorbent assay kit. Measurement of bone mineral density was performed a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.

Serum Fetuin-A levels were 136.85 ± 38.09 μg/L and 112.95 ± 44.39 μg/L in the celiac disease and healthy control groups, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between groups in levels of serum Fetuin-A (P < .05). A significant positive correlation was observed between serum Fetuin-A and bone mineral density Z-score in the celiac patients.

Increased Fetuin-A levels and positive correlation between Fetuin-A and bone mineral density in children with celiac disease suggest that Fetuin-A may be a biomarker for celiac disease.