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Gluten-Free Diet Compliance in Children With Celiac Disease and Its Effect on Clinical Symptoms: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Cureus
December 1, 2023
Assia Mouslih et al. (5 authors)
Journal ArticleHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the compliance and clinical outcomes of a gluten-free diet (GFD) in children with celiac disease (CD).

Results Summary

The study found that strict adherence to a GFD resolved clinical symptoms in 87.3% of children, with symptom resolution occurring within an average of 6.4 months. Compliance varied significantly by age, with adolescents being the least compliant, and was correlated with symptom disappearance, persistence, and complications.

Population

Children diagnosed with celiac disease in the pediatrics department of the Hassan II University Hospital in Fez, Morocco.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

18 months

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (9)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
gluten-free diet
decrease
clinical symptoms present at the time of diagnosis
children with celiac disease
-
yields excellent results
#1
gluten-free diet
increase
better quality of life and life expectancy
children with celiac disease
-
hope for children with CD to have
#2
gluten-free diet
decrease
child's age
adolescents
-
compliance was significantly correlated with
#3
gluten-free diet
increase
disappearance of symptoms
children diagnosed with celiac disease
-
correlation was observed between compliance with the diet and
#4
gluten-free diet
decrease
persistence of certain symptoms
children diagnosed with celiac disease
-
correlation was observed between compliance with the diet and
#5
gluten-free diet
decrease
occurrence of complications
children diagnosed with celiac disease
-
correlation was observed between compliance with the diet and
#6
gluten-free diet
decrease
clinical symptoms
majority of children (87.3%)
mean delay of 6.4±3.6 months, with a mode of three months
had their clinical symptoms resolved within
#7
gluten-free diet
increase
degree of GFD compliance
children diagnosed with celiac disease
-
speed of symptom resolution remained statistically correlated with
#8
gluten-free diet
decrease
clinical symptoms
children
-
excellent results on
#9
Abstract

UNLABELLED: A gluten-free diet (GFD) is the only scientifically proven treatment for celiac disease (CD). Strict adherence to this diet in children yields excellent results in terms of the clinical symptoms present at the time of diagnosis. Despite the constraints associated with following this diet, it remains the only hope for children with CD to have a better quality of life and life expectancy. METHODS: A retrospective descriptive cohort study was carried out on children diagnosed with CD in the pediatrics department of the Hassan II University Hospital in Fez, Morocco. The children were followed up for 18 months, during which time they were seen as outpatients at different frequencies depending on their clinical condition and degree of compliance with the diet. RESULTS: Only half of the diagnosed children continued to follow our structure. Compliance with the gluten-free diet varied from 58.7% (n = 84) of children who strictly followed the GFD to 3.5% (n = 5) of children who never followed the diet. Compliance was significantly correlated with the child's age, with adolescents being the least compliant (p = 0.03). Similarly, a correlation was observed between compliance with the diet and the disappearance of symptoms (p <0.01), the persistence of certain symptoms (p = 0.02), and the occurrence of complications (p = 0.01). The majority of children (87.3%) had their clinical symptoms resolved within a mean delay of 6.4±3.6 months, with a mode of three months. The speed of symptom resolution differed from one symptom to another but remained statistically correlated with the degree of GFD compliance (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Despite the excellent results of a GFD on clinical symptoms in children, the discrepancies observed between compliance and non-compliance call for close follow-up of children with CD to avoid complications and repercussions on the vital prognosis in adulthood.

Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality70/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations6
Citations/Year3.0
Relative Citation Ratio1.81
NIH Percentile71.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score2.51
Normalized Score0.68
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