Pediatric Celiac Disease Treatment & Management

  • Author: Stefano Guandalini, MD; Chief Editor: Carmen Cuffari, MD   more...
 
Updated: Oct 26, 2011
 

Medical Care

Total lifelong avoidance of gluten ingestion is the cornerstone treatment for patients with celiac disease (CD). Wheat, rye, and barley are the grains that contain toxic peptides. They should be eliminated as completely as possible, although daily intake doses larger than 10 mg are likely needed to cause mucosal reaction.[23] GI symptoms in patients with symptomatic celiac disease who adhere to a gluten-free diet typically resolve within a few weeks; these patients experience the normalization of nutritional measures, improved growth in height and weight (with resultant normal stature), and normalization of hematological and biochemical parameters.

Furthermore, treatment with a gluten-free diet reverses the decrease in bone mineralization and the risk for fractures . Symptomatic children treated with a gluten-free also improve their sense of physical and psychological well being.

The results from one study noted no significant difference in thyroid autoimmunity presence in patients with CD between those on a gluten-free diet and those who were not. While the duration of the diet differed significantly in patients with thyroid autoimmunity than those without, it did not seem to affect weight and height gain. These results suggest that universal long-term screening programs for thyroid disease may only be necessary when thyroid diseases are suspected.[24]

For a long time, oats were considered toxic as well, and their elimination from the diet had been recommended. However, over the past decade, a growing body of scientific evidence obtained from in vitro studies as well as from clinical investigations (particularly in adults but also, more recently, in children) suggests that oats are totally safe. Because of uncontrolled harvesting and milling procedures, as well as the possibility that lines of manufacturing used for wheat-based flours are also used in the preparation of oat-based foods, cross-contamination of oats with gluten is still a concern.

Lactose is often eliminated in the initial phases of dietary treatment as well. This is because lactase deficiency is thought to accompany the flat mucosa. However, most newly diagnosed patients with celiac disease are diagnosed in the absence of overt malabsorptive symptoms; in these circumstances, clinically significant lactose malabsorption or intolerance is rarely seen. Furthermore, even in cases with obvious malabsorption, the recovery of lactase activity is typically fast; thus, a lactose-free diet must be used on a short-term basis only, even in these individuals.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) publishes guidelines for the dietary treatment of celiac disease. They are a reliable source of information for a gluten-free. However, because of the dynamics of this field, the diet requires ongoing collaboration between patients, health care providers, and dietitians.

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Consultations

Because of the protean nature of celiac disease, multiple consultations may be necessary. For example, consultations with an endocrine specialist should be arranged for patients who also have Hashimoto thyroiditis or type I diabetes mellitus, and a rheumatologist must be consulted for patients who have arthritis.

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Diet

See Medical Care.

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Activity

No additional restriction is necessary beyond that imposed by the patient's fatigue. However, if a completely gluten-free diet is followed, celiac disease completely regresses, and individuals have a completely normal quality of life.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Stefano Guandalini, MD  Director, Celiac Disease Center, Chief, Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago Medical Center; Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences, The Pritzker School of Medicine

Stefano Guandalini, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Gastroenterological Association, European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Phyllis A Vallee, MD  Associate Program Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital

Phyllis A Vallee, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American Medical Association, and Michigan State Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Jorge H Vargas, MD  Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical Professor of Pediatric Gastroenterology, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine; Consulting Physician, Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Los Angeles Health System

Jorge H Vargas, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Liver Foundation, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, Latin American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mary L Windle, PharmD  Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Carmen Cuffari, MD  Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology/Nutrition, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Carmen Cuffari, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Steven M Schwarz, MD, FAAP, FACN, AGAF  Professor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital at Downstate, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center

Steven M Schwarz, MD, FAAP, FACN, AGAF is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Nutrition, American College of Physician Executives, American Gastroenterological Association, American Pediatric Society, Gastroenterology Research Group, New York Academy of Medicine, North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and Society for Pediatric Research

Disclosure: Curemark, LLC Consulting fee Board membership; Centocor, Inc. Grant/research funds Independent contractor; Johnson & Johnson, Inc. Grant/research funds Independent contractor

Chief Editor

Carmen Cuffari, MD  Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology/Nutrition, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Carmen Cuffari, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

The authors and editors of Medscape Reference gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author Ginette V Busschots, MD, to the writing and development of this article.

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Potbelly and muscle wasting in a child with celiac disease.
The celiac iceberg.
The different presentations of celiac disease.
Extraintestinal manifestations of celiac disease.
GI signs and symptoms of celiac disease.
Approximate prevalence of celiac disease in other autoimmune disorders.
 
 
 
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