Determination of celiac disease frequency in type 1 diabetes mellitus children in the Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic of Sari, Mazandaran

Background: Diabetes mellitus, type 1 (T1DM) and celiac disease (CD) are both immune-mediated. The mean rate of clinical overlap is 8%. The aim of this study was to discover the frequency of CD in children with type 1 diabetes in Mazandaran province. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study was performed in the pediatric endocrinology referral center, in Sari from 2012 to 2014. We screened all individuals aged between six months and 18 years with diabetes diagnosis after ketoacidosis, positive anti-GAD 65 antibodies, and insulin therapy. Patients with a positive tissue Transglutaminase Immunoglobulin A (tTG-IgA) antibodies test underwent endoscopic biopsy. Categorical data were tested using chi-square and quantitative data with independent sample T-test in SPSS. Date reported with 95% confidence interval. P<0.05 was considered statically significant. Results: Of the 119 children enrolled, six cases (5%) were positive for tTG-IgA antibodies and all of them were boys (P=0.013). Histopathologically, CD was confirmed in 5 persons (4.2%). The mean age of seropositive patients was 10.3&plusmn;3.3 years. History of DKA was mostly negative (83.3%) in them. The mean breastfeeding duration was 21&plusmn;3.2 months, and only one had started formula after 12 months of birth. Conclusions: The results of the current study showed that the frequency of CD in T1DM children in north of Iran was similar to that other countries but lower than that in previous reports of Iran. The periodic screening test for CD in this high-risk group is necessary to diagnose the asymptomatic disease and prevent its complications.