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The September issue of The Journal of Pediatrics contains a FREE editorial
on CD and a PAID subscription Denver study of the incidence of CD in
children.  I will only give the "Home Page" address here.  Go to the
Current or September issue to select the free editorial from the Table of
Contents at page 289:

The Journal of Pediatrics - Home Page
http://www.mosby.com/jpeds

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J Pediatr. 2003 Sep;143(3):289-91

Editorial -
Celiac disease - a never-ending story?

Hill ID.

Pediatrics & Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine,
Winston-Salem, NC 27157 USA.

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J Pediatr. 2003 Sep;143(3):308-14

A prospective study of the incidence of childhood celiac disease.

Hoffenberg EJ, Mackenzie T, Barriga KJ, Eisenbarth GS, Bao F, Haas JE,
Erlich H, Bugawan Tl T, Sokol RJ, Taki I, Norris JM, Rewers M.

Departments of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Barbara
Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, USA.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the frequency of celiac disease (CD) in children in
the general population of Denver, Colorado.Study design From 22,346
newborns characterized as expressing 0, 1, or 2 HLA-DR3(DQB1(*)0201)
alleles, 987 were selected for a prospective stratified cohort study.
Participants were followed for as long as 7 years with serial testing for
serum IgA anti-transglutaminase antibodies and for evidence of CD
(intestinal mucosal changes or persistent seropositivity). RESULTS: Of 40
children with at least one positive serologic test, 19 had evidence of CD
(10 by biopsy, 9 by persistent seropositivity). Those expressing 0, 1, or 2
HLA-DR3 alleles had, respectively, 0.3% (95% CI, 0.0-2.7), 3.4% (3.0-11.7),
and 3.2% (1.0-11.0) risk for evidence of CD by age 5 years. The adjusted
risk estimate for evidence of CD by age 5 years for the Denver general
population was 0.9% (0.4-2.0), or 1 in 104 (1:49-221). After adjusting for
number of HLA-DR3 alleles expressed, risk was higher in females: RR=3.34
(1.00-10.9, P=.048). Evidence of CD was not observed before age 2.6 years.
CONCLUSIONS: Celiac disease may affect 0.9% of Denver children by 5 years
of age. Children positive for the HLA-DR3 allele and females appear to be
at increased risk.

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* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *