Current state of celiac disease diagnosis in Uzbekistan: problems and solutions

Objective. To study the state of diagnosis, clinical manifestation and laboratory changes in children with celiac disease in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Patients and methods. The article presents a description of 64 newly diagnosed cases of celiac disease registered in the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Pediatrics. Celiac disease was diagnosed according to the ESPGHAN criteria. Results. Out of 64 patients, celiac disease was more frequently diagnosed among girls (69.6%), the median age at diagnosis was 5.3 ± 0.6 years. Classic symptoms were observed in 46 (71.9%) patients, the number of patients with extraintestinal manifestations was 18 (28.1%). In classical celiac disease, the most common intestinal symptoms were bloating, diarrhea, and severe protein-energy malnutrition (p ≤ 0.05; p ≤ 0.0001). Among the patients with extraintestinal manifestations, there were more often children with subnanism (p ≤ 0.05). Hemoglobin and calcium levels decreased with the same frequency in atypical and typical forms of celiac disease; there was an increase in the level of alkaline phosphatase in both groups, but higher amounts were found in typical forms of the disease. The majority of patients had a histological study of the intestinal mucosa according to Marsh III, most commonly – IIIc (total villous atrophy). Conclusion. The diagnosis of celiac disease in children living in Uzbekistan is established with a considerable delay. Most patients have classic symptoms accompanied by intestinal manifestations. It is essential to be alert to the diagnosis of celiac disease in patients with extraintestinal manifestations in the absence of diarrhea. In this regard, it is necessary to raise doctors’ awareness of the diagnosis of atypical forms of the disease, as well as to improve their knowledge about different manifestations of celiac disease. Key words: celiac disease, extraintestinal manifestations, children, diagnosis