KIDS WITH CELIAC NOT GETTING YEARLY FOLLOW-UP
KIDS WITH CELIAC NOT GETTING YEARLY FOLLOW-UP
Celiac disease is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. In individuals with celiac disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response in your small intestine. As described on the Mayo Clinic website, “over time, this reaction damages your small intestine’s lining and prevents absorption of some nutrients (malabsorption). The intestinal damage often causes diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, bloating and anemia, and can lead to serious complications.
In children, malabsorption can affect growth and development, in addition to the symptoms seen in adults. There’s no cure for celiac disease — but for most people, following a strict gluten-free diet can help manage symptoms and promote intestinal healing.”
Check out this disheartening article about how “U.S. children with celiac disease are not being adequately followed up for adherence to a gluten-free diet, a crucial component for their treatment and protection against intestinal damage, researchers report.”
“Chronic celiac poses serious risks of nutritional deficits, fractures, and lymphoma, noted Jocelyn A. Silvester, MD, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and colleagues, writing online in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. And since it requires time to master and skills to maintain a gluten-free diet, initial consultation with an expert registered dietitian and ANNUAL ASSESSMENT are recommended for successful management, the team emphasized.”
“Fortunately, many children with celiac disease who are well treated do quite well following diagnosis, though I agree with the authors’ conclusions that ‘no-news is not always good news’ for those who do not return for follow-up care,” she said.
“High rates of loss to specialist follow-up indicate significant shortcomings in the management of children with [celiac disease],” the authors wrote. “Many may not be receiving appropriate treatment as one in six patients did not receive [gluten-free diet] education and 9% had no GI follow-up after diagnosis.”
“Even in the case of families given the recommended nutritional education and medical advice, some do not return regularly for follow-up, which may be a function of lack of symptoms, lack of pharmacotherapy for celiac disease, or the family’s confidence in their own ability to navigate the diet,” Reilly said. “Things in this field are continually changing, and the disease impacts the mind and body of children at various ages differently – all of which make regular follow-up worthwhile.”
Celiac disease affects approximately 1 in 131 individuals in the U.S. and can cause a wide variety of symptoms and can lead to significant health issues such as nutritional deficiencies, bone disease, and lymphoma. A yearly office visit with a gastroenterologist to check in on symptoms and laboratory monitoring is highly recommended. If you suspect that you may have an issue with processing gluten or if you already have a diagnosis of celiac disease and are overdue for follow up, we can help. Please call 224.407.4400 or visit compgihealth.com to schedule a consultation.