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. 2022 Jan 23;14(3):491.
doi: 10.3390/nu14030491.

Clinical Manifestation and Diagnostic Process of Celiac Disease in Poland-Comparison of Pediatric and Adult Patients in Retrospective Study

Emilia Majsiak  1   2 , Magdalena Choina  2 , Alastair M Gray  3 , Mariusz Wysokiński  4 , Bożena Cukrowska  5
Affiliations

Clinical Manifestation and Diagnostic Process of Celiac Disease in Poland-Comparison of Pediatric and Adult Patients in Retrospective Study

Emilia Majsiak et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) may be delayed due to non-specific clinical symptoms. The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical manifestation and diagnostic process of CD in Polish children and adults. Methods: The members of the Polish Coeliac Society (n = 2500) were asked to complete a questionnaire on socio-demographic factors, clinical and diagnostic aspects of CD. The analysis was based on 796 responses from patients with confirmed CD diagnosis, and included 224 (28.1%) children and 572 (71.9%) adults. Results: The mean duration of symptoms prior to CD diagnosis in children was significantly shorter than in adults (p < 0.001), and amounted to 3.1 and 9 years respectively. The most frequent symptoms before CD diagnosis were abdominal pain and bloating in children (70.4%), and chronic fatigue in adults (74.5%). Although almost all CD patients claimed to strictly avoid gluten after CD diagnosis, symptoms were still present in the majority of these respondents. No comorbid diseases were reported by 29.8% of children and by 11.7% of adults (p < 0.001). Conclusions: the results indicate that CD diagnosis is delayed in Poland, especially in adults, and clinicians should be aware of the diversity in CD presentation.

Keywords: celiac disease; delayed diagnosis; diagnostic process; gluten free diet.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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