Epidemiology of celiac disease in children in Tuzla Canton [Article in Bosnian]

Objective – The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological characteristics of celiac disease in children in the Tuzla Canton.  Patients and Methods – This retrospective study analyzed the medical records of the Department of Paediatrics in Tuzla of 68 patients in age from 0 to 14.9 years in whom celiac disease was diagnosed in the period from January, 1, 1995 to December, 31, 2007. Patients were divided into three groups in relation to the type of the disease. The first group consisted of patients with typical, the second group of patients with atypical and the third group with asymptomatic celiac disease.  Results – Of the 68 patients 44 (64.7%) children had the typical form of celiac disease, 16 or 23.5% had an atypical form and 8 (11.8%) patients had an asymptomatic form of celiac disease. The largest number of affected children (14 or 20.6%) was in the municipality of Tuzla. The overall average incidence rate of celiac disease in the observed period for both sexes aged from 0 to 14.9 years was 0.05/1000, while the prevalence of celiac disease for 2007 was 0.73/1000 from the end of 2001. Since 2001, when there were seven patients with celiac disease, the number of newly discovered cases gradually increased to 12 in 2007.  Conclusion – The typical form of celiac disease had the highest number of affected children aged from 0 to 1.9 years, whereas atypical and asymptomatic forms of the disease were significantly less frequent. The average incidence rate of celiac disease in the period for both sexes aged from 0 to 14.9 years was 0.05/1000. The number of newly diagnosed cases of celiac disease in the observed period increased significantly, whicht may be explained by the frequent use of specific serological tests in celiac disease, as well as the use of serological screening for celiac disease in children with typ 1 diabetes mellitus and Hashimoto thyroiditis.