[Hydrogen breath test in celiac disease: relationship to histological changes in jejunal mucosa].

Hydrogen concentration in expired breath depends on the fraction of ingested carbohydrates unabsorbed by the small intestinal mucosa which reach the large intestine and are fermented by the colonic flora. The aim of this study is to assess whether in coeliac children breath hydrogen excretion reflects the histological changes in the jejunal mucosa. Hydrogen breath test was performed on 40 children (15 males 25 females) divided into three groups.

[Adherence to a diet and the social aspects of patients with celiac disease].

We studied the social behaviour and dietary habits of 335 coeliacs older than 6 yrs diagnosed in our paediatric gastroenterology unit by a mailed questionnaire, 156 patients (45.2%) answered all questions; their median age was 14.7 yrs (range 6-29).

[Clinical data on celiac disease with an early or late onset].

Typical symptoms in celiac disease (CD) are usually associated with early onset of the disease, whereas an atypical symptomatology has more often a later onset. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of some clinical signs and symptoms in children whose CD started before one year of age ("early onset" 135 children, M/F 50/85, mean age at onset 6.9 +/- 1.

[Clinico-histological behavior of celiac patients after gluten load following the definitive diagnosis].

In the last 18 years we have followed 330 children with Coeliac Disease (CD), diagnosed according to the ESPGAN criteria (with 3 jejunal biopsies: during the acute phase, after a gluten-free diet and after a gluten challenge). One to fifteen years after the diagnosis, 61 of them asked to be exposed to a second gluten challenge to see if their intolerance was persistent. Ten percent of them had already started the challenge by themselves, the others were on Gluten Free Diet (GFD).