Detection of anti-tissue transglutaminase iga antibodies (Ttg iga) in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Introduction: Children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) are more likely to develop celi-ac disease (CD), which is an underdiagnosed condition due to its variable clinical presentation. Therefore, children with DM1 require periodic monitoring to achieve an early diagnosis of CD. Objectives: To identify positivity for the detection of anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies (tTG-IgA) in children with DM1, as well as to describe gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, anthro-pometric status indicators and gluten intake levels. Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study. The population was composed of children with DM1 who attended the outpatient service of two pediatric endocrinology centers in Bogotá, Colombia. The Biocard-Celiac® test was used to detect the presence of tTG-IgA. In addition, participants were asked about their GI symptoms and underwent an anthropometric nutritional assessment. Gluten intake was assessed by recording dietary intake for 72 hours. A statistical data analysis was performed using the SPSS software version 22.0. Results: The final sample included 45 children with an average age of 10.6±4.1 years, of which 53% were males. None of the participants had a positive result in the tTG-IgA test. The most frequent GI symptoms were flatulence (48.9%) and abdominal pain (28.9%). Only 3 children (6.7%) were below the height-for-age standard. The average gluten intake was 5.29±3.02 g/day. Conclusions: Although children with DM1 are at increased risk of developing CD, none of the participants tested positive for tTG-IgA.