London : Researchers have developed a simple finger prick test which allows to determine whether a child aged two to four suffers from celiac disease or not without the necessity of a blood extraction, reports IANS.
This method does not require experienced personnel, is quick (10 minutes), economic and, most important of all in the case of infant population, this method is less invasive than a blood extraction, the study said.
Celiac disease is a systemic disease caused by a permanent intolerance to gluten (which can be found in wheat, barley and rye), and it affects people with genetic predisposition.
The symptoms are intestinal (intestinal malabsorption, abdominal distension, diarrhea, abdominal pain, among others) and extra-digestive (skin problems, joint pain, cephalalgia, among others).
Currently, in order to diagnose celiac disease, three things are required: clinical symptomatology, the assessment of celiac disease antibodies present in blood, and a compatible histological study via intestinal biopsy.
The goal of the new research carried out by the University of Granada in Spain was to assess the prevalence of the silent celiac disease among children aged two to four.
The researchers detected six celiac children among the 198 who participated in the study.
All of them presented no symptoms at all, or minor imperceptible symptoms which did not make their parents consult a pediatrician.
