INCREASING INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CELIAC-DISEASE IN SICILY - RESULTS OF A MULTICENTER STUDY

By screening the patient list of four Sicilian centers of gastroentero logy and those with gluten-free product consumption, 1074 patients (60 7 females and 467 males) with celiac disease, diagnosed between 1975 a nd 1989, were identified. A maximum cumulative incidence rate by birth cohort was reached in 1986 (1.65/1000). When the incidence rate was a djusted for the years of follow-up, the actual standardized rate was 3 cases per 1000 live births. Growth failure and chronic diarrhea were the most common symptoms, but a diminishing trend for chronic diarrhea was observed when symptoms were distributed by year of diagnosis. Eve n though 61.1% of all cases were diagnosed within six months from the onset of symptoms, mean age at diagnosis showed an increasing trend, f rom less than two years to approximately four years of age. The result s of our study showed an increasing incidence of celiac disease due to diagnosis of less typical cases at an older age and also to a steady increase in the rate of diagnosis of cases with a classic clinical pic ture.