Linear growth and skeletal maturation in subjects with treated celiac disease

Background: The aim of this study was to report on the longterm growth and development in a group of treated patients with celiac disease. Methods: The study includes 26 patients (11 boys and 15 girls) with typical celiac disease who were younger than 2.5 at diagnosis and were followed by means of a growth longitudinal monitoring from the introduction of a glute n-free diet (mean age, 1.7 +/- 0.5 years) until adulthood, over a median pe riod of 15.3 years. Growth indicators used were: height, skeletal age, weig ht and BMI. Results: At the time of admission, the patients had a general tendency to s hort stature, underweight and retarded skeletal maturation. They did not ca tch up completely in height and skeletal age after a dietary treatment peri od of 3 years. Most of them were seen to be slightly below average height f or age during childhood and adolescence with skeletal maturity retardation, even if a fairly large interindividual variation of height profiles was ev ident. Conclusions: Notwithstanding the early treatment, the careful follow-up, an d the good adhesion to the dietary rules of the patients under study, sligh t negative effects of the disease on growth were not avoided.