BEHAVIOR OF GROWTH HORMONE-BINDING PROTEIN AND OF IGF-I IN CELIAC-DISEASE

Failure to thrive is common in children with celiac disease but little is known on the GH-IGF-I growth axis of these patients. We studied th e behaviour of GH-BPs (I and II) and IGF-I in 18 children with celiac disease, either before or after a 6 month gluten-free diet. GH-BP II a ctivity was significantly lower in patients during the active phase of rite disease than after the diet or in comparison with control subjec ts, appropriate for age and sex. In contrast, GH-BP I activity neither differed between patients and controls nor changed after the diet. IG F-I was reduced before the diet in all patients and normalized after t he gluten-free diet. Furthermore, we followed a significant, positive correlation between GH-BP II and IGF-I. Height-SDS and BMI of the pati ents improved significantly after the diet; they significantly and pos itively correlated with GH-BP II or ICF-I. In conclusion, our data sho wed that celiac children had multiple alterations in the growth axis d uring the active phase of the disease that disappeared under the glute n-free diet.