Turkish Journal of Hematology (Aug 2021)

Association of Immune Thrombocytopenia and Celiac Disease in Children: A Retrospective Case Control Study

  • Angela Guarina,
  • Maddalena Marinoni,
  • Giuseppe Lassandro,
  • Paola Saracco,
  • Silverio Perrotta,
  • Elena Facchini,
  • Lucia Dora Notarangelo,
  • Giovanna Russo,
  • Paola Giordano,
  • Francesca Romano,
  • Giuseppe Bertoni,
  • Chiara Gorio,
  • Gabriela Boscarol,
  • Milena Motta,
  • Marco Spinelli,
  • Angelica Barone,
  • Marco Zecca,
  • Francesca Compagno,
  • Saverio Ladogana,
  • Angela Maggio,
  • Maurizio Miano,
  • Gianluca DellOrso,
  • Elena Chiocca,
  • Ilaria Fotzi,
  • Angela Petrone,
  • Assunta Tornesello,
  • Irene D'Alba,
  • Silvia Salvatore,
  • Maddalena Casale,
  • Giuseppe Puccio,
  • Ugo Ramenghi,
  • Piero Farruggia

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4274/tjh.galenos.2021.2021.0128
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 38, no. 3
pp. 175 – 180

Abstract

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Objective: The association between celiac disease (CD) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is still uncertain. The aim of this study was to characterize the coexistence of these two diseases in Italian children. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter study investigating the occurrence of CD in 28 children with ITP diagnosed from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2019. Results: The first diagnosis was ITP in 57.1% and CD in 32.1% of patients. In 3 patients (10.7%), the two diagnoses were simultaneous. All the potential and silent cases of CD in our cohort were diagnosed in the groups of 'ITP first' and 'simultaneous diagnosis'. In all children ITP was mild, and in 2 out of 8 not recovered from ITP at the time of CD diagnosis a normalization of platelet counts (>100,000/μL) occurred 3 and 5 months after starting a gluten-free diet, respectively. Conclusion: We think that screening for CD should be considered in children with ITP regardless of the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Furthermore, some patients may recover from ITP after starting a gluten-free diet.

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