PREVALENCE OF CELIAC DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH TURNER’S SYNDROME

Celiac disease (CD) has been reported in association with genetic disorders such as Down’s syndrome and Turner’s syndrome (TS). This study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of CD among a group of patients with TS. Forty eight girls with TS and a control group composed by 48 healthy unrelated girls were screened for CD by IgA antiendomysial antibody (IgA-EMA). Total IgA of serum was measured in all of the patients and controls and EMA was measured in subjects who had normal range of IgA. Endoscopy and biopsy of duodenum was performed for EMA positive patients and pathologic evaluation was done according to Marsh’s classification. Total IgA of serum in all of the subjects was in normal range. Two subjects, both with TS, were EMA positive, resulting in a prevalence of 4.1% in TS. Duodenal biopsy was performed in these patients and histologic changes of samples were classified as grade II in one and grade II b in another one. Results of this study are compatible with previous observations placing girls with TS at higher risk for CD relative to general population and justifying screening of CD in patients with TS.