Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of undiagnosed celiac disease (CD) in the parents of preterm and/or small for gestational age (SGA) infants.
Methods: A sample of 1,714 parents (868 women, 846 men) of 905 preterm (<37 wk of gestational age) and/or SGA (<10th percentile of birthweight) infants consecutively born in Lombardy, Northern Italy, and not diagnosed with CD prior to pregnancy, were tested for CD. Diagnosis was based on antitissue transglutaminase and anti-endomysial antibodies and confirmed by duodenal biopsy.
Results: The overall prevalence of undiagnosed CD was 0.64% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32-1.15%), 0.92% (0.40-1.81%) in women and 0.35% (0.07-1.03%) in men. In the mothers of preterm infants prevalence of CD was 0.39% (0.05-1.39%). In the mothers of SGA infants prevalence of CD was 1.60% (0.64-3.27%), and the observed number of mothers with CD was 2.25 times higher than the expected one in the Italian female population (P = 0.039). Undiagnosed CD in mothers was associated with an increased risk of SGA birth (odds ratio 6.97, 95% CI 1.11-43.55%).
Conclusions: While additional powered studies are needed, the present results suggest that the prevalence of undiagnosed CD in the mothers of SGA infants is higher than in the general female population.