Screening for celiac disease in idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this report was to screen for celiac disease (CD) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH).

Patients and methods: Patients with IPH treated at the Children's Hospital of Tunis between 1976 and 2006 were reviewed and investigated for CD, using serological and histological tests.

Results: A total of 10 children (two boys and eight girls) had IPH. The mean age at diagnosis was 3.1 years. Three had digestive symptoms and positive CD serology, which was confirmed by histological data. Clinical and radiological findings improved markedly in all CD patients with corticosteroid treatment combined with a gluten-free diet. Symptoms of IPH and CD both returned in one patient who stopped the gluten-free diet.

Conclusion: Three of our 10 patients with IPH also had CD. These data illustrate the close etiopathogenic link between IPH and CD, and strongly suggest that CD be looked for in IPH patients, especially in those with symptoms suggestive of CD.