Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Where Your Contribution Counts!
    eNewsletter
    Support Us!

How Big Is Your Kid?


SilverSlipper

Recommended Posts

SilverSlipper Contributor

I'm looking for a little reassurance. :) My daughter is 8 yrs old (2 yrs on a gluten-free diet) and weighs 44 lbs. She's very small for her age. Our pediatrician says that she is about the size of a kindergarten kid (my daughter is in 2nd grade). She's a few inches shy of being 4 ft tall. Our ped is not overly worried at the moment as she is growing (she had quit growing for over a year which is how we started looking for a diagnosis).

I'm wondering if other kids with celiac disease are unusually small? I know they are typically smaller than their peers, but my daughter's size is sometimes unnerving. Could their be anything else going on that I should look into?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



momofk&n Newbie

My oldest was diagnosed when she was three. She had only grown half an inch in a year, her hair was falling out, and I had just gotten diagnosed the year before and demanded testing for her. Three years later, we put her on the scale. She weighs 45 lbs! Also, she is still a little short. Our doctor said she may eventually catch up but it takes 3-5 years for the body to fully heal itself. Remember that patience is a virtue. It has just been in the last 6 months that my girl has really taken off. It felt like she would never gain any real weight or height. My youngest is 3 and also has celiac, she never had any real exposure as she was diagnosed in the first three months. She is still a little small compared to her peers but a lot closer than her sister. Talk to your pediatrician about running some blood tests just to make sure that she is now receiving the proper nutrition and see if she needs a supplement to support weight gain and growth for a while. My oldest needed a nutritional supplement for that first year. Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RideAllWays Enthusiast

I was the opposite. I was a huge kid, got quite fat (okay, huge) around the age of 10 until I was about 13, then started losing weight. I was the tallest in the class from kindergarten to grade 5 ish...then I stopped growing. I am now 5' tall and 95 pounds, and everybody always jokes that I am a midget..

Link to comment
Share on other sites
T.H. Community Regular

My son is 1 month shy of 8 and he's 45 inches right now. I also know a 10 year old little boy diagnosed about 4 years ago, and he is also very small.

As to if there might be something else? I've seen one thing that might be of interest. This article here on the site:

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21964/1/Linear-growth-Impairment-and-Anti-pituitary-Antibodies-in-Children-with-Newly-Diagnosed-Celiac-Disease/Page1.html

It was about anti-pituitary antibodies that are in kids who have active celiac, and it actually inhibits growth. If I recall right, a very few still have this after they are gluten free. I don't know if anything can be done about it, or how the titer for it is obtained, but it might be nice something you could ask about, yeah?

I'm looking for a little reassurance. :) My daughter is 8 yrs old (2 yrs on a gluten-free diet) and weighs 44 lbs. She's very small for her age. Our pediatrician says that she is about the size of a kindergarten kid (my daughter is in 2nd grade). She's a few inches shy of being 4 ft tall. Our ped is not overly worried at the moment as she is growing (she had quit growing for over a year which is how we started looking for a diagnosis).

I'm wondering if other kids with celiac disease are unusually small? I know they are typically smaller than their peers, but my daughter's size is sometimes unnerving. Could their be anything else going on that I should look into?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Roda Rising Star

My kids are not diagnosed celiac and not on gluten free diets. Debated putting oldest on because of his seasonal/year round allergies, but have not yet (long story). Just thought I would give you a non celiac perspective. My oldest just turned 9(3rd grade) and is 51" (4' 3") and around 58-60 lbs. He did not grow much before and from July '09 to Dec. '09 he grew 2 1/2 inches! He is now contantly complaining of growing pains behind his knees. My youngest son just turned 5 (he is in pre-K) and he is 42 1/2"(3' 6 1/2") tall and 38 lbs. He really has grown alot in the past year. He is starting to wear things that my oldest son did not wear until he started kindergarden and into first grade. However, I think some of the hand me down clothes have probably shrunk a little. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Wolicki Enthusiast

My kids are not diagnosed celiac and not on gluten free diets. Debated putting oldest on because of his seasonal/year round allergies, but have not yet (long story). Just thought I would give you a non celiac perspective. My oldest just turned 9(3rd grade) and is 51" (4' 3") and around 58-60 lbs. He did not grow much before and from July '09 to Dec. '09 he grew 2 1/2 inches! He is now contantly complaining of growing pains behind his knees. My youngest son just turned 5 (he is in pre-K) and he is 42 1/2"(3' 6 1/2") tall and 38 lbs. He really has grown alot in the past year. He is starting to wear things that my oldest son did not wear until he started kindergarden and into first grade. However, I think some of the hand me down clothes have probably shrunk a little. :lol:

I am 6 ft tall, and my ex husband is 6'5". I knew we would have big kids. My 12 year old is 5'8" and 92 pounds. String bean! My 9 yr old was always taller than his brother was at the same age until about a year ago and he just stopped growing. He was diagnosed Celiac in October, 2009 and he is growing again. I think he's grown 2 inches since Oct. He's about 4'11" and 90 pounds. He's gone from a size 8 to a size 12 in 3 months. So, the good news is once you've gotten their deficiencies, etc. worked out,it can reverse itself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Roda Rising Star

I am 6 ft tall, and my ex husband is 6'5". I knew we would have big kids. My 12 year old is 5'8" and 92 pounds. String bean! My 9 yr old was always taller than his brother was at the same age until about a year ago and he just stopped growing. He was diagnosed Celiac in October, 2009 and he is growing again. I think he's grown 2 inches since Oct. He's about 4'11" and 90 pounds. He's gone from a size 8 to a size 12 in 3 months. So, the good news is once you've gotten their deficiencies, etc. worked out,it can reverse itself.

I'm average height at 5' 7" and my husband is 6' and not a hulky build (lean). My boys have always been small, but continue to stay on their growth curve. My parents were average height (5' 6" and 5' 11") and my husbands mother is short and father probably as tall as him. There are tall and short people in the mix. As for my 9 year old, yes he is one of the shorter boys in his class, but there are others that are about the same. His best friend and him are the same size. I was told that kids with allergies can grow slower. Some people are short because they're programed that way. THe funny thing is though my brother who is 5" 10" and wife who is very short and comes from a family of very short people, have three kids and all are taller than thier dad. Up until 7th grade I was one of the shortest in my class. My brother and I grew very similar to my boys. My one nephew was really small and puberty hit and wow!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Darissa Contributor

My 9 yr daughter weighed 46 lbs when we found out she had celiac disease. She gained 14 lbs her first year of being on a strick gluten-free diet. She is still much smaller than they other kids in her class, but she is growing so much better now. Prior to her Dx of celiac disease, we had her growth hormones tested, and all were within normal range. How long have you been gluten-free? That has made a huge difference in my daughters growth. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jeramy Newbie

My son is 1 month shy of 8 and he's 45 inches right now. I also know a 10 year old little boy diagnosed about 4 years ago, and he is also very small.

As to if there might be something else? I've seen one thing that might be of interest. This article here on the site:

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21964/1/Linear-growth-Impairment-and-Anti-pituitary-Antibodies-in-Children-with-Newly-Diagnosed-Celiac-Disease/Page1.html

It was about anti-pituitary antibodies that are in kids who have active celiac, and it actually inhibits growth. If I recall right, a very few still have this after they are gluten free. I don't know if anything can be done about it, or how the titer for it is obtained, but it might be nice something you could ask about, yeah?

I find this very interesting and possibly validiating.

I am a celiac and have other auto immune issues such as fibromyalgia and sjogren's syndrome. My kids, 8 and 13, are not celiac diagnosed, but there's always the chance they may be. Still they don't have any harsh symptoms (wrenching gut pain!) They are underweight and very short for their age and have been constipated since the day they came out into the world. Now, I'm not very big myself, barely 5'2" and I was small growing up, but never had gluten problems till after my daughter was born. My father was also small. About 5'6". Now I guess it's possible we had celiac and these anti-pituitary antibobies problem without knowing it.

My son fits almost exactly your child's description. He is 8.5 years and weighs 46 lbs. and 46" tall. I haven't been focused on his weight and height because h e looks so porportioned. It's my daughter who likes like a skeleton. She is 13 and she's 4'8 and 73 lbs. I have just recently taken her off gluten and I wante to give her at least a month gluten-free to see if she gains weight. Nothing else we've tried...doctors, etc. has worked. BUT, she has an added problem of having ADD and she is missing hunger cues. So who knows what the answer really is.

But this APA thing is interesting. I'm going to contact our PED and talk about getting them tested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tatum Rookie

My 16 month old is 20.5 lbs

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Piccolo Apprentice

Sliver Sliper,

Let me tell you about me. I have always been small. I am now in my 60's. I am 4'11" and only weigh about 80 pounds. This is the heaviest I have ever been. I have been healthy and strong. Being on the small side has not hindered my life. My top weight 9 months pregnant was 92lb.

Hope this helps and reassures you.

Susan

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Quasior Rookie

My children aren't diagnosed yet, but I'm pretty certain at least three of five have it!

My eldest girl is 10, she's the size of a 6 yo in height, but she wieghs 45 kg

My eldest son is 8, above average height and extremely thin, he's not breached 30 kg yet

My middle boy is 7, he is hovering around the 25%ile, but he is also thin (not extemely - he could be a body builder when he grows up), he's heavier than his older brother but not by much!) he was around the 10%ile but he broke his femur and the one good thing that came of it was he gained that 15% in the next year.

My next son is 4, hes very thin/short, 10 %ile... he can wear 00 sized clothes meant for a 6 month old!! He can also just wear size 4 in some sizes, but he needs a belt to keep them up. He has a huge belly though, from bloating but since going gluten-free that is flattening out thank goodness!

My youngest daughter is 2, she was over the 100%ile for height/weight for the first six months of her life. When she started eating solids, that dramatically changed. She's now lucky to keep 10%ile, she often drops below accepted age's height/weight ratio - which is a concern. She is very thin, doesn't bloat either, she is totally flat tummy, you can see her ribs, scary!

So yeah, its common I think for children with celiacs to be short of stature and thin, but there is also those who are refered to as 'starving for nutrition' like myself who weigh heavier!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
celiac-mommy Collaborator

My dd was diagnosed when she was 4, she is now 8, nearly 5ft tall and weighs 67# (She's average for an 11 year old!!)

My ds was diagnosed when he was 2.5. He had always been in the 10th% for height and weight until his diagosis, now he's thriving at the 75% for height and 50th for weight!

(I'm 5'11" and I'm the shortest kid in my family and my hubby is 6'5")

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Beth03456 Newbie

My 3 yo is at the 5% for height and weight (36 inches in height now). Both my husband and I are short, so the doctor thinks he may not be below his normal curve, but I do still hope he grows more. He didn't grow at all between ages 2 and 3 though, which is how he was diagnosed.

For perspective, his older sister will be 6 next month and is similar to your child - 44 inches and 44 lbs, slightly under average - maybe 30-40%??

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Liddle4 Contributor

My son is 8 weighs 41 lbs and is only 42 inches tall!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Generic Apprentice

My gluten-free 18 y/o daughter weighs about 160 lbs. and is 5'6". My non-gluten-free (who should be) 15 y/o son is 6'4" not sure about his weight. I think he is around 160 lbs. He is a string bean too. Me I'm 5'8 and horribly underweight at 109 lbs.(due to unrelated chronic pancreatitis and other issues.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sugarsue Enthusiast

My son is 8 weighs 41 lbs and is only 42 inches tall!

Hi, my daughter is 7 now. She went gluten free when she was 6. At that time she weighed 39 lbs. In the past 1 1/2 years, she gained 11 lbs!! She grew 2 inches but is still small for her age (I'm not sure how tall she is). I have hope that she will continue growing and maybe she'll catch up. One thing that helped us with the weight was protein drinks like Boost.

Susan

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Aletheia Newbie

I have a 3.5 year old who is 26 pounds (for measure, his younger brother with no-known issues is 22.5 pounds-- and he is 2 years younger) and about34" tall. Barely on the WHO charts.

He is undiagnosed right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
floweringdawn Newbie

I am female celiac....and was diagnosed at 11 months old, my parents did not keep me on a strict diet, and I was very small. Until about age 12 I went on a gluten free diet on my own due to my GI pain. I was still small until I hit puberty, and now I am 5'11" so there is hope!! keep them on a 100% gluten-free diet and they can catch up!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Help Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - cristiana replied to Larzipan's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      16

      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

    2. - Julie Riordan replied to Julie Riordan's topic in Traveling with Celiac Disease
      3

      Any ideas for travelling

    3. - Nedast replied to Larzipan's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      16

      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

    4. - trents replied to SuzanneL's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Weak Positive Test

    5. - SuzanneL posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Weak Positive Test


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      120,496
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    JamesDavid
    Newest Member
    JamesDavid
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.2k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • cristiana
      Thank you for your post, @Nedast, and welcome to the forum. It is interesting to read of your experiences. Although I've not had TMJ, from time to time I have had a bit of mild pain in my jaw, sharp stabbing pains and tingling in my face which appears to have been caused by issues with my trigeminal nerve.  I read that sometimes a damaged trigeminal nerve in coeliacs can heal after adopting a gluten free diet.  I try to keep out of cold winds or wear a scarf over my face when it is cold and windy, those conditions tend to be my 'trigger' but I do think that staying clear of gluten has helped.  Also, sleeping with a rolled up towel under my neck is a tip I picked up online, again, that seems to bring benefits. Thank you again for your input - living with this sort of pain can be very hard, so it is good to be able to share advice.
    • Julie Riordan
      I am going to France in two weeks and then to Portugal in May   Thanks for your reply 
    • Nedast
      I made an account just to reply to this topic. My story resembles yours in so many ways that it is truly amazing. I also suddenly became lactose intolerant, went a little under 10 years attributing all my symtoms to different body parts, never thinking it was something systemic until much later. I had the same mental problems - anxiety, depression, fatigue, etc. In fact, the only real difference in our story is that I was never formally diagnosed. When I discovered that my myriad symtoms, that had been continuous and worsening for years, all rapidly subsided upon cessation of consuming gluten, I immediately took it upon myself to cut gluten out of my diet completely. I live in America, and had lost my health insurance within the year prior to my discovery, so I could not get tested, and I will never willingly or knowingly consume gluten again, which I would have to do in order to get tested now that I have insurance again. But that is not the point of this reply. I also had extreme TMJ pain that began within months of getting my wisdom teeth out at - you guessed it - 17 years old. I was in and out of doctors for my various symptoms for about 5 years before I gave up, but during that time I had also kept getting reffered to different kinds of doctors that had their own, different solutions to my TMJ issue, an issue which I only recently discovered was related to my other symptoms. I began with physical therapy, and the physical therapist eventually broke down at me after many months, raising her voice at me and saying that there was nothing she could do for me. After that saga, I saw a plastic surgeon at the request of my GP, who he knew personally. This palstic surgeon began using botox injections to stop my spasming jaw muscles, and he managed to get it covered by my insurace in 2011, which was harder to do back then. This helped the pain tremendously, but did not solve the underlying problem, and I had to get repeat injections every three months. After a couple of years, this began to lose effectiveness, and I needed treatments more often than my insurance would cover. The surgeon did a scan on the joint and saw slight damage to the tissues. He then got approved by insurance to do a small surgery on the massseter (jaw) muscle - making an incision, and then splicing tissue into the muscle to stop the spasming. It worked amazingly, but about three months later it had stopped working. I was on the verge of seeing the top oral surgeon in our city, but instead of operating on me, he referred me to a unique group of dentists who focus on the TMJ and its biomechanical relationship to teeth occlusion (i.e. how the teeth fit together). This is what your dentist did, and what he did to you was boderline if not outright malpractice. There is a dental field that specializes in doing this kind of dental work, and it takes many years of extra schooling (and a lot of money invested into education) to be able to modify teeth occusion in this manner. Just based on the way you describe your dentist doing this, I can tell he was not qualified to do this to you. Dentists who are qualified and engage in this practice take many measurments of your head, mouth, teeth, etc., they take laboratory molds of your teeth, and they then make a complete, life-size model of your skull and teeth to help them guide their work on you. They then have a lab construct, and give you what is called a "bite splint." It looks and feels like a retainer, but its function is entirely different. This is essentially a literal splint for the TMJ that situates on the teeth. The splint is progressively modified once or twice per week, over several months, in order to slowly move the joint to its correct position. The muscles spasm less, stress is taken off the joint, as the joint slowly moves back into its proper position. The pain reduces each month, each week, sometimes even each day you go in for a visit. The joint has to be moved in this manner with the splint BEFORE the modification to the teeth begins. They then add to your tooth structure with small bits of composite, to keep the joint in its proper place after it has been sucessfully repositioned. Subtracting from your teeth, by grinding down bits of your natural tooth structure, is done very conservatively, if they have to do it at all. This process worked for me - after six months, my face, jaw, neck all felt normal, and I had no more pain - a feeling I had not had in a long time. It also made my face look better. I had not realized the true extent that the spasming muscles and the joint derangement had effected the shape of my face. The pain began to return after a few months, but nowhere near where it had been before. This immense reduction in pain lasted for a little over two years. The treatment still ultimately failed, but it is not their fault, and it is still the treatment that has given me the most relief to this day. Later on, I even went about three years with very, very good pain reduction, before the joint severely destabilized again. This field of dentistry is the last line treatment for TMJ issues before oral surgery on the TMJ. There aren't as many denists around who practice this anymore, and the practice is currently shrinking due to dentists opting for less espensive, additional educations in things like professional whitening, which have a broader marketability. Getting this treatment is also very expensive if not covered by insurance (in America at least). My first time was covered by insurance, second time was not, though the dentist took pity on me due to the nature of my case and charged like a quarter of usual pricing. Most cases seen by these dentists are complete successes, and the patient never has to come back again. But occasionally they get a case that is not a success, and I was one of those cases. A little over a year ago, I began seeing the second dentist who keeps my TMJ stable in this manner. The first dentist retired, and then died sadly. A shame too, because he was a truly amazing, knowledgable guy who really wanted to help people. The new dentist began to get suspicious when my joint failed to stay stable after I was finished with the bite splint and his modifications, so he did another scan on me. This is ten years after the first scan (remember, I said the surgeon saw "slight" damage to the tissue on the first scan). This new scan revealed that I now no longer have cartilage in the joint, on both sides - complete degeneration of the soft tissues and some damage to the bone. The dentist sat me down and had a talk with me after these results came in, and said that when he sees damage like this in cases like mine, that the damage to the joint is most likely autoimmune, and that, in his experinece, it is usually autoimmune. He has sent patients with cases like mine to Mayo Clinic. He said he will continue to see me as long as the treatment continues to offer me relief, but also said that I will probably have to see a dentist for this type of treatment for the rest of my life. He is not currently recommending surgery due to my young age and the fact that the treatment he provides manages my symptoms pretty well. I still see this dentist today, and probably will see this kind of dental specialist for the rest of my life, since they have helped with this issue the most. I did not inform him that I am 100% sure that I have celiac disease (due to my complete symptom remission upon gluten cessation). I didn't inform him because I thought it would be inappropriate due to not having a formal diagnosis. I was disappointed, because I had believed I had caught it BEFORE it had done permanent damage to my body. I had never suspected that my TMJ issues may be related to my other symptoms, and that the damage would end up complete and permanent. Luckily, I caught it about 6 months after my other joints started hurting, and they stopped hurting right after I went gluten free, and haven't hurt since. I of course did the necessary research after the results of the second scan, and found out that the TMJ is the most commonly involved joint in autoimmune disease of the intestines, and if mutliple joints are effected, it is usually the first one effected. This makes complete sense, since the TMJ is the most closely related joint to the intestines, and literally controls the opening that allows food passage into your intestines. I am here to tell you, that if anyone says there is no potential relationship between TMJ issues and celiac disease, they are absolutely wrong. Just google TMJ and Celiac disease, and read the scientific articles you find. Research on issues regarding the TMJ is relatively sparse, but you will find the association you're looking for validated.
    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @SuzanneL! Which tTG was that? tTG-IGA? tTG-IGG? Were there other celiac antibody tests run from that blood draw? Was total IGA measured? By some chance were you already cutting back on gluten by the time the blood draw was taken or just not eating much? For the celiac antibody tests to be accurate a person needs to be eating about 10g of gluten daily which is about 4-6 pieces of bread.
    • SuzanneL
      I've recently received a weak positive tTG, 6. For about six years, I've been sick almost everyday. I was told it was just my IBS. I have constant nausea. Sometimes after I eat, I have sharp, upper pain in my abdomen. I sometimes feel or vomit (bile) after eating. The doctor wanted me to try a stronger anti acid before doing an endoscopy. I'm just curious if these symptoms are pointing towards Celiac Disease? 
×
×
  • Create New...