Who Do They Do It?

[skipper30]

I am wondering how do the Italians(I think) manage to diagnose their kids with Celiac.

Isn't it true that they test them all before they enter school?

Do they have a better diagnostic tool than we do here in the Americas or is their diagnosis rate as "low" as ours? Do their insurance companies refuse to insure them??

Anybody??

[Debbie65]

I am wondering how do the Italians(I think) manage to diagnose their kids with Celiac.

Isn't it true that they test them all before they enter school?

Do they have a better diagnostic tool than we do here in the Americas or is their diagnosis rate as "low" as ours? Do their insurance companies refuse to insure them??

Anybody??

I was diagnosed as a baby so my mother tends to keep track of anything in the news about Coeliac and I´m sure she told me that they now take blood from the heel of a baby during the first couple of weeks of life to test for it( in Scotland). Maybe that´s what they do in Italy.

[chrissy]

i don't think it would be very likely for a baby that young to test positive for celiac.

[Debbie65]

i don't think it would be very likely for a baby that young to test positive for celiac.

Don´t know how they do it , not even sure if I have full story - maybe they can test for the gene. I was diagnosed when I was under a year old 40 years ago so they must have gathered some more knowledge along the way in all those years.

[flagbabyds]

im pretty sure they test every kid before going into school and that is why so many more are diagnosed and it is such an easy place to go to on vacation/

yes it is italy

[2kids4me]

This is what I found after brief search - Italy and celiac

The first link is interesting reading, but long - talks about the various diagnostics etc

Open Original Shared Link

good summary of the international celiac symposium

a quote from the above link that I liked:

The first speaker, Dr. Jarmo Visakorpi, from Finland, gave an overview of celiac disease and how it started out being thought of as a rare gi disease of children and not a common disease that occurs at all ages and may not be limited to the gi tract. Joe remembered one quote that he felt would be well worth repeating -- and you'll see why.

Dr. Visakorpi said:

"Many people call parts of the celiac iceberg by different names, but that's not important. It's more important to know the size of the iceberg and how it floats...In Sweden, the whole iceberg is floating. In other European countries, the tips of the iceberg are showing. But in the United States, the whole iceberg is submerged."

Wow! I'd call that a great image...

Mass screening for coeliac disease using antihuman transglutaminase antibody assay.

Tommasini A, Not T, Kiren V, Baldas V, Santon D, Trevisiol C, Berti I, Neri E, Gerarduzzi T, Bruno I, Lenhardt A, Zamuner E, Spano A, Crovella S, Martellossi S, Torre G, Sblattero D, Marzari R, Bradbury A, Tamburlini G, Ventura A.

Department of Reproductive and Development Science of Trieste University and I.R.C.C.S. Burlo Garofolo, Italy.

AIMS: To determine coeliac disease prevalence by an anti-transglutaminase antibody assay in a large paediatric population; to evaluate acceptance of the screening programme, dietary compliance, and long term health effects.

METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 3188 schoolchildren (aged 6-12) and prospective follow up of diagnosed cases. Main outcome measures were: prevalence of coeliac disease defined by intestinal biopsy or positivity to both human tissue transglutaminase and anti-endomysium antibodies in HLA DQ2-8 positive subjects; percentage of children whose families accepted screening; dietary compliance as defined by negativity for anti-transglutaminase antibodies; and presence of clinical or laboratory abnormalities at 24 month follow up.

RESULTS: The families of 3188/3665 children gave their consent (87%). Thirty biopsy proven coeliacs were identified (prevalence 1:106). Three other children testing positive for both coeliac related autoantibodies and HLA DQ2-8 but refusing biopsy were considered as having coeliac disease (prevalence 1:96). Of 33 cases, 12 had coeliac related symptoms. The 30 biopsy proven coeliacs followed a gluten-free diet. Of 28 subjects completing 18-24 months follow up, 20 (71.4%) were negative for anti-transglutaminase antibodies, while eight were slightly positive; symptoms resolved in all 12 symptomatic children. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of coeliac disease is high in Italian schoolchildren. Two thirds of cases were asymptomatic.

Acceptance of the programme was good, as was dietary compliance. Given the high prevalence and possible complications of untreated coeliac disease, the availability of a valid screening method, and evidence of willingness to comply with dietary treatment population mass screening deserves careful consideration.

PMID: 15155392 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Open Original Shared Link

[LKelly8]

i don't think it would be very likely for a baby that young to test positive for celiac.

My mother was diagnosed in infancy - way back in 1938.

This one screening doesn't mean some kids won't develop celiac later in life, I think they're just trying to catch the "early bloomers". Also I doubt the cost of testing is as high as it is here in the States.

[PatrickCA]

Great question! Good find 2kids4me. Interesting that the artical says, "...mass screening deserves careful consideration."

I don't think it is currently profitable for any company to do mass screening, which makes celiac dx a good target for govt/socialized medicine. Of course all of *us* know that it would have been (much) cheaper for pay for the tests early on in our lives than to go through all the tests many of us went through before a dx.

Hopefully, as awareness increases there will be more pressure on the NIH and govt. begin mass screening. All we need is a really cheap test!

[Debbie65]

My mother was diagnosed in infancy - way back in 1938.

This one screening doesn't mean some kids won't develop celiac later in life, I think they're just trying to catch the "early bloomers". Also I doubt the cost of testing is as high as it is here in the States.

I think you´re right. They are not testing for coeliac as such but for the presence of the gene to show which children are susceptible to it. If this is recorded in their medical file and symptoms present then diagnosis is much more simple and less invasive. No more biopsies that can show false negatives anyway - straight to the diet.