THE NEUROLOGICAL FACE OF CELIAC DISEASE

Abstract

Background: Several neurological disorders have also been widely described in celiac disease patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of accompanying different neurologic manifestations in children with celiac disease at the time of diagnosis and to discuss these manifestations in the light of the recent literature.

Methods: This prospective cross sectional study included 297 children diagnosed with celiac disease. The medical records of all patients were reviewed.

Results: In neurological evaluation, totally 40 (13. 5%) of the 297 celiac patients had a neurological finding including headache, epilepsy, migraine, mental retardation, breath holding spells, ataxia, cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Down syndrome and Turner syndrome in order of frequency. There was not any significant difference between the laboratory data of the patients with and without neurological manifestations. However; type 3a biopsy was statistically significantly more common among patients without neurological manifestations, while type 3b biopsy was statistically significantly more common among patients with neurological manifestations.

Conclusion: It is important to keep in mind that in clinical course of celiac disease different neurological manifestations may be reported.