Diagnostic Delays in Children With Coeliac Disease in the Central European Region

Objectives: Coeliac disease (CD) is a systemic autoimmune disorder affecting about 1% of the population. Many patients remain undiagnosed or are diagnosed with substantial delay. We assessed diagnostic delays in symptomatic CD children in Central Europe (CE). Methods: Paediatric gastroenterologists in 5 CE countries retrospectively reported data of their patients diagnosed in 2016. Age at first CD-related symptom(s), first visit to paediatric gastroenterologist and confirmed diagnosis were used to determine diagnostic delays. Results: Data from 393 children (65% girls, median age 7 years, range 7 months to 18.5 years) from Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Italy, and Slovenia were analysed. Median duration from first symptom(s) to visit to paediatric gastroenterologist was 5 months (range 0–10 years; preschool 4 months, school-aged 5 months), and further duration until final diagnosis was 1 month (range 0–5 years) with significant regional differences (P 
Source: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Original Articles: Gastroenterology: Celiac Disease Source Type: research