Celiac disease in children

Celiac disease is a common immune-mediated disease, that may present, after gluten ingestion, with various and heterogeneous symptoms that can vary according to patients' age. The diagnostic screening test is serum anti tissue transglutaminase IgA level. In doubt cases, anti-endomysium IgA and the anti-deamidated gliadin peptides IgG could be useful to confirm the suspicion, before a biopsy will be perform. Since 2012, guidelines have made it possible to avoid the biopsy in symptomatic pediatric patients with high levels of anti transglutaminase IgA, positivity to antiendomysium IgA, and with HLA DQ2 or DQ8. In all other cases duodenal biopsy is still mandatory to confirm the diagnosis. The therapy of celiac disease is a lifelong gluten free diet. In children prognosis of celiac disease is good, without complications. Here we review and discuss the present literature about celiac disease in childhood.