Detection of anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies (tTG IgA) in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Introduction: Children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) are more likely to develop celiac disease (CD), which is an underdiagnosed condition due to its variable clinical presentation. Therefore, children with DM1 require periodic monitoring to achieve an early diagnosis of CD. Objectives: To identify positivity for the detection of anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies (tTG-IgA) in children with DM1, as well as to describe gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, anthropometric status indicators and gluten intake levels. Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study. The population was composed of children with DM1 who attended the outpatient service of two pediatric endocrinology centers in Bogotá, Colombia. The Biocard-Celiac® test was used to detect the presence of tTG-IgA. In addition, participants were asked about their GI symptoms and underwent an anthropometric nutritional assessment. Gluten intake was assessed by recording dietary intake for 72 hours. A statistical data analysis was performed using the SPSS software version 22.0. Results: The final sample included 45 children with an average age of 10.6±4.1 years, of which 53% were males. None of the participants had a positive result in the tTG-IgA test. The most frequent GI symptoms were flatulence (48.9%) and abdominal pain (28.9%). Only 3 children (6.7%) were below the height-for-age standard. The average gluten intake was 5.29±3.02 g/day. Conclusions: Although children with DM1 are at increased risk of developing CD, none of the participants tested positive for tTG-IgA.