In depth analysis of risk factors for coeliac disease amongst children under 18 years Old in the Gaza strip. A cross sectional study

Abstract

Coeliac disease is an important clinical disorder affecting the human gastrointestinal tract leading to multiple signs and symptoms in different body organs. This disease was the subject of a cross sectional descriptive-analytic study conducted in the Gaza Strip during 2010. Objectives were oriented to identify and verify several variables and attributes affecting the prognosis of coeliac disease in the patients. Ninety five children out of 113 patients were arranged into two groups according to age from 2 to 11 years and from 12 to 18 years old. Results showed the poor interest of health professionals regarding coeliac disease in the Gaza Strip. The mean age of study population was 5.47 years for males and 8.93 years for females. The lifestyle of coeliac patients was directly proportional with better nutritional indictors. Poor recognition of the emblem illustrating gluten in foods implicates effective health awareness or promotion. The more knowledgeable patients or mothers (P = 0.036) were the more compliant. The compliance to giving gluten free foods outside home was statistically significant (P = 0.037). Similarly, cautious approach when buying foods or detergents (P = 0.011). According to BMI 74.4%, 23.4% and 3.2% of all patients were normal, underweight and overweight respectively. Albumin blood level was normal in 32.6% and low in 67.4%. Meanwhile, blood calcium level was normal in 76.8%, low in 21.1% and high in 2.1% of all patients. Conclusion: The study showed that recreation and social activities for coeliac patients are substantially missing in the Gaza Strip. Moreover, the study proved that AEI is a reliable centre for care of coeliac disease patients and conducting relevant studies. Recommendation: There is a need for thorough and continuous community and institutional mobilization regarding coeliac disease in the Gaza Strip and in Palestine.

Bedouin Children With Celiac Disease: Less Symptoms but More Severe Histological Features at Presentation

“…The incidence of CD in Punjabis (Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims) is eight times greater than in Gujaratis (Hindus and Muslims) and four times higher than in Leicester, England ( 22 ). Data in the Arabic population, especially in Bedouins, is limited, with a prevalence of 0.02% in the Gaza strip ( 14 ) and incidence of 1:2800 live births in Jordanian children ( 13 ). Additionally, in Sweden there was a decreased incidence of CD in second-generation immigrants and some groups of foreign adoptees, which supports the claim that ethnic genetic heterogeneity may contribute to the variation in CD incidence ( 9 ).…”

“…Recently, Assa et al reported that the prevalence of CD in Israel was significantly lower in subjects from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds, as well as those of African, Asian and former Soviet Union origin ( 12 ). The presence of CD in Arab children has been the subject of only a few reports and were based only on small case base series ( 13 , 14 ). The Bedouins in Israel are a subgroup within the minority Arab population, have unique historical, social and cultural characteristics, and an extremely high rate of consanguineous marriage ( 5 , 15 ).…”

Nutritional status, nutrient imbalances, food-related behaviors and dietary supplements use among patients with celiac disease in Lebanon: a national cross-sectional study

“…These results, altogether, showed an unbalanced diet in terms of micronutrients, that were in accordance with those shown in several studies. 14,[61][62][63] On the other hand, almost all the study participants from both genders showed a high daily consumption of iron. This finding contradicts the results reported in other studies.…”

Examining the Psychosocial Well‐Being of Children and Adolescents With Coeliac Disease

“…Most studies used convenience (n = 20), purposive (n = 5), and volunteer (n = 11) sampling strategies, and recruited from specialist pediatric gastroenterology clinics or coeliac organizations, which risks selection bias and lower representativeness of the wider target population. Five studies did not report the recruitment methods used (14)(15)(16)(17)(18).…”

“…Three studies (16,33,34) were questionnaire validation studies. All quantitative studies used appropriate statistical tests, except 1 which did not describe the data analysis strategy used (14). Qualitative studies used grounded theory (32,35), interpretative phenomenology (31), thematic analysis (5), or were appropriately guided by previous frameworks (15,36).…”