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Wheat allergy cause for range of ailments in North India kids: PGI
Ritika Jha/TNS

Chandigarh, August 19
A team of researchers at PGI has established that chronic diarrhoea is not the sole indicator of celiac disease (wheat allergy) in children. In a study conducted over nearly 450 children across north Indian states, it was found that wheat allergy was the key factor resulting in anaemia, short stature, constipation, hepatitis and rickets among a large number of children.

While 54 per cent of the children studied had diarrhoea as the main symptom, remaining 46 per cent had atypical manifestations like short stature, constipation, hepatitis, unexplained anaemia, rickets, diabetes mellitus, irritable bowl syndrome and pain in abdomen, noted the study published in the International Journal of Gastroenterology this month.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr BR Thapa, Head of Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology in the PGI, said, “The major conclusion drawn in the study was that it is important for us to suspect celiac disease in children showing the above-mentioned atypical symptoms as well. The finding assumes significance since these problems can be controlled by simply avoiding intake of wheat, while celiac disease may otherwise prove to be fatal.”

The researchers also informed that the easy availability of serological tests to screen celiac disease in children showing any of the atypical symptoms can help in early detection of the disease.

Children between 1.5 and 14 years from states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh were included in the study.