[Coeliac disease: an analysis of the clinical data in 176 patients (author's transl)]

A retrospective analysis of the case histories of 176 infants and children with documented coeliac disease born between 1953 and 1975 revealed the following data: Gluten was introduced into the diet of 49% of these patients at an age of 3 to 4 months. The interval between the introduction of gluten and the appearance of first symptoms was very variable and independent of age, occurring within 4 weeks in 32% and within 2 weeks in 20% of cases. In 13% this interval was 6 to 13 months. 91% of cases presented during the first year of life. Signs were also variable, the most frequent combination being failure to thrive, abnormal stools, anorexia vomiting and abdominal distension. In young infants symptoms tended to be more severe, whilst in children older than 2 years stunting of growth was the most frequent single clinical finding.