Prevalence of neurological problems in a community-based sample of paediatric coeliac disease: a cross-sectional study
BackgroundThe prevalence of and risk factors for neurological problems in childhood coeliac disease (CD) are unclear.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional, community-based audit of CD in children diagnosed from January 2010 to December 2016 in Lothian.Results79 (28%) of 284 children with CD (201, 70.8% female) (mean age 8.3 years, range of 1–16) had neurological problems. Fifteen (5%) had headaches/migraine, 3 (1%) seizures, 32 (11%) ASD (autistic spectrum disorder), 5 (2%) ADD (attention deficit disorder) and 4 (1%) had ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Fifteen (5%) had anxiety (n=10, 3.5%) or low mood (n=5, 2%). Neurological problems were more common with later age at CD diagnosis (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.14) and male gender (OR 1.69, 95% CI 0.96 to 2.95).ConclusionPrevalence of neurological problems in children with CD in Lothian is lower than published adult CD studies and similar or lower to the reported prevalence in the general childhood population.