Improved Diagnostics of Celiac Disease in Children

Prevalence of celiac disease is on a steep rise in Western countries, but due to difficult diagnosis the majority of patients remain unrecognized. Undiagnosed celiac disease causes incremental burden to the health care and predisposes to severe complications. On the other hand, increasing screening in at-risk groups of celiac disease frequently detects seropositive subjects with no obvious symptoms and/or still normal small-bowel mucosal morphology. At present the natural history and benefits of an early diagnosis in such individuals is poorly known. Further, the endoscopic demonstration of the small-intestinal damage required for the diagnosis is unpleasant, expensive and often misleading. New serology-based diagnostic criteria have been suggested but prospective data is lacking. Aims of the present study are to improve the diagnostic yield and accuracy of the current diagnostic methods and to develop novel non-invasive methods and biomarkers for early detection of celiac disease. In addition, the investigators will evaluate natural history of celiac disease in screening-detected asymptomatic children and in those with positive serology but normal histology, and form a large database for future clinical and translational studies. The study and patient collection are to be conducted at the pediatric clinics in Finland and in Romania. All children referred due to suspicion of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity will be asked to participate to the study. Patient samples and clinical information are collected during the routine visits and the study does not include any additional visits or endoscopies. The total duration of the study is 10 years but data will be analyzed on-line.