could my daughter have cd

[TinaMT]

My two year old is a very picky eater. If I can get her to eat two bites at supper, I'm lucky. She has tantrums, is starting to wake up at night. her poopy diapers are most of the time pretty hard, sometimes they look like wet sand. Does it sound like she could have cd or is she just doing things that normal 2 year olds do? She doesn't seem to have any stomach pain or anything like that. I heard that you can get kids tested but if it's negative, that doesn't mean they won't get it sometime in their life. I want to wait, but I would feel terrible if I'm feeding her food that is hurting her.
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Tina

[maria1223]

does her poppy have a very foul oder? is it just supper that she does this? also talk to your Dr. about how you feel. It could be just a 2 yr old you know the terriable 2's.

good luck

[aklap]

Hi Tina,

I dont have kids...so I would even begin to guess what a 2 year old does LOL!!!

Yup - FOUL smelling poop is a classic symptom.

This may seem like a silly question...but do you, hubby or any of the family have gastro problems? If you do, you could consider getting checked. CD is genetic. So if you or your hubby has issues...your kids may have problems too.

CD or gluten sensitivity does not always manifest itself in gastro symptoms. If I remember correctly...only something like 56% of Celiacs present with gastro problems.

You could always try a gluten free trial to see how she behaves (both emotionally and stomach-wise). It's very common for kids to be "unruly" if they are gluten sensitive.

Certainly checking with your doctor would be a wise thing to do. Bring up the gluten sensitivity issue. You may not get very far with it. Most docs are not well versed in CD or Gluten Sensitivity. They might called it a wheat allergy (which is completely different than CD).

Good luck!
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[TinaMT]

my husband has celiac. I have talked to her doctor and she tells me that we can test her, but if it's negative that doesn't mean that she can't get it sometime in her life. The dr says we can do the test, but she doesn't seem very concerned about it. As for her dirty diapers, don't they all stink? How bad does the smell have to be? She doesn't seem to have any stomach pain. She's tiny and a picky eater, but she was premature and my husband and myself are and always have been pretty skinny. I don't want to put her through this test if I dont have to. Should I wait for this test? I'm afraid I may be feeding her food that is hurting her.
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Tina

[nowakb]

Hi TinaMT:

I've just recently been diagnosed with CD and my Dad has has it for over 20 years. I have a 5yr old daughter and a 3yr old son. At my son's recent well care exam, we asked the pediatrician about testing the kids for CD (blood tests), especially my daughter who often complains that her stomach hurts. Both my kids are skinny and my daughter is also an exceptionally picky eater. The dr. said that she wouldn't bother testing my son because he seems fine and doesn't ever complain of tummy aches or have much in the way of diarrhea. She said we could test my daughter when she comes in for her exam in a couple of months. She (the dr) also told us that young kids very often have irritable bowel syndrome precisely because they have such bad diets, so a young kid whose stomach bothers them is not really an odd thing. My son occassionally has weird, mushy, smelly poop in his diaper, but I really think it's just something that happens sometimes, I guess from kids version of IBS.

I dont' know if any of this helps, but it is something to think about.

Good luck!

Becky

[aklap]

Hi Tina,

I thought I'd google Celiac testing and Kids. I came up with a few things...

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/498587_1 - you'll need to register to read this, but I think it's worth the time to do so. There are several parts to this. I'm only posting a couple.

Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Celiac Disease in Children
Patricia L. Jackson Allen
Case Studies and Incidence
Case Studies

Jennifer, age 2 years , is being seen for her regular 2-year well child visit. You note her weight is only at the 5% and has been dropping percentiles over the past year. When you ask her mother about Jennifer's diet, she reports Jennifer is a picky eater and often complains of a stomach ache. Her mother reports her stomach looks bloated

Steven, age 7 years , is brought into the clinic because of recurrent abdominal pain with occasional constipation or diarrhea. Steven's mother had been told in the past that he probably had irritable bowel syndrome but changes in his diet, occasional use of a laxative, and relaxation techniques have not improved his symptoms.

Rebecca, age 12 years , is brought into your clinic because her mother has recently learned that two first cousins have been diagnosed with celiac disease. She is wondering if Rebecca should be screened for this condition since she has heard it runs in families.
Incidence

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy caused by a permanent sensitivity to the gliadin protein fraction of gluten found in cereal grains including wheat, rye, and barley. Celiac disease was previously thought to be rare and a disease of childhood but is now recognized as a common condition that can present at any age (American Gastroenterological Association, 2001; National Institute of Health [NIH], 2004). The prevalence is greater than previously thought with current estimates to be 3-13 per 1000 children, or approximately 1:300 to 1:80 children (NorthAmerican Society for Pediatric Gastroenterolgy, Hepatology and Nutrition [NASPGHAN], 2004). Celiac disease may be the most common predetermined condition in humans, affecting roughly 1% of the U.S. population (Hill, 2003;NIH, 2004).

Celiac disease is found throughout the world but few prevalence studies have been performed. Studies find a frequency of 1 in 77 Swedish children, 1 in 230 school-age Italian children,and 1 in 100 five-year old children in Denver, Colorado (Carlsson, Axelsson,Borulf, Bredberg, & Ivarsson, 2001; Catassi, Fabiani, Ratsch, Coppa, Giorgi,Pierdomenico, et al, 1996; Catassi, Ratsch, Fabiani, Ricci, Bordicchia,Pierdomenico, et al, 1995; Hoffenberg, MacKenzie, Barriga,Eisenbarth, Bao, Haas, et al, 2003). The recent improvement in serologic screening techniques will enable future studies to determine prevalence indifferent ethnic/racial groups and people of different ages. It is currently believed to be rare in black Africans, and people of Chinese or Japanese origin(Hill, Bhatnagar, Cameron, Rosa, Maki, Russell, et al, 2002).

Although it is believed that many people with celiac disease may be undiagnosed, at this time there is insufficient evidence to support screening of the general population (NIH,2004).

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http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/498587_5 - you need to register to read this. So I posted it below.

Diagnosis & Treatment of Celiac Disease in Children - Guidelines

Screening and Diagnosis

The North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (2004) recommends that primary care providers consider celiac disease early in children with a combination of persistent diarrhea and poor weight gain, weight loss or failure to thrive. Children with recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal pain, anorexia, constipation, vomiting or other global symptoms found in celiac disease (see Table 1 ) should also be evaluated, as part of a differential diagnosis, for the presence of celiac disease. In addition, all children who are first degree relatives of an individual with confirmed celiac disease, have type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, Williams syndrome, selective IgA deficiency or auto immune thyroiditis should be screened even if they are without gastrointestinal symptoms (NASPGHN, 2004).Although small bowel biopsy to determine histological changes in the mucosa is the definitive diagnostic test for celiac disease, there are screening tests to help determine those children with high probability of the disease from those with low probability. The currently recommended screening test is a measurement of IgA antibody to human recombinant tissue trans glutaminase (tTG IgA) (NASPGHN, 2004). The tissue transglutaminase antibody test (tTG) has replaced the anti-gliadin (GAG IgA and AGA IgG) and the anti-endomysium (EMA IgA) as the screening test of choice because of its accuracy. The sensitivity of tTG IgA in both children and adults ranges from 0.92-1.00 and specificity from 0.91-1.00 (NASPGHAN, 2004). The IgA endomysial antibody immuno-fluorescence (EMA) test is also recommended as an equivalent screening test by the National Institute of Health (2004). Elevation in tTG IgA level or IgA-EMA level is indicative of celiac disease, but in approximately 2% of symptomatic children a concurrent IgA deficiency can mask elevations. Therefore, measurement of quantitative serum IgA should be taken concurrently.

If the child has normal IgA serum levels and an elevated IgA antibody to human recombinant tissue transglutaminase an intestinal biopsy should be scheduled to confirm the diagnosis and determine the level of involvement in the small intestine.Intestinal biopsy should also be done in children with negative serological tests but with failure to thrive, chronic diarrhea, or a diagnosis with high incidence of celiac disease (NASPGHN, 2004). A positive serology test and a negative small bowel biopsy may represent a false positive serology test or milder disease without current changes in the small bowel (latent celiac disease). Children must be ingesting gluten for the small intestine to have the characteristic histological changes so clinicians should not prescribe a glutenfree diet prior to testing being completed. As genetic markers for celiac disease become more defined, they will also be used to screen people for this condition.

The diagnosis of celiac disease is made when a child over 2 years of age, who has symptoms suggestive of celiac disease, is found to have histological changes in the small bowel and resolution of symptoms when put on a glutenfree diet (NASPGHN, 2004). A positive serology test that reverts to negative after compliance with a gluten free diet is considered supportive evidence. In situations where the diagnosis is uncertain in a symptomatic child, HLA typing can be done, repeat small bowel biopsy may be scheduled, or a trial on a glutenfree diet (GFD) can be instituted.

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http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=654

Dear Danna:
My daughter is six and has always had terrible diarrhea. My brother and I both have celiac disease, so I figured she does, too. I don't want her to have to go through all the testing, so I'm going to put her on a gluten-free diet and see how she responds. How soon should we expect to see improvement?
Pam F.

Dear Pam:
I know it's tough to handle the thought of putting our kids through testing, but proper testing is essential. Your daughter must be on a gluten-containing diet in order for testing to be accurate, so I would urge you to get her tested quickly, before putting her on a gluten-free diet. I'd recommend doing the antibody screen (a blood test) first; if it's positive, I'd encourage you to have an intestinal biopsy done on her. Believe me, I know it's hard to put our children through these tests, but it's important that you know for sure, and proper testing is crucial.

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http://www.glutenfreedom.net/aboutdanna.aspx - Info about Danaa Korn
http://www.clanthompson.com/exp_doctor_showqa.php3?question_id=65&category=Tests%20and%20Their%20Results&category_id=4
http://www.stlouischildrens.org/default.aspx?tabid=95&acn=view&aid=3225
http://www.drgreene.com/21_1614.html
http://www.englewoodhospital.com/Pediatrics/Pediatric_celiac_center.htm
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[aklap]

bump
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa