Is Adult height of patients with celiac disease influenced by delayed diagnosis?

OBJECTIVES: Short stature is one of the presenting symptoms of celiac disease (CD), and growth acceleration can be achieved with gluten-free diet (GFD). However, the data regarding final adult height of CD patients are scarce and inconclusive. Our aim was to evaluate the adult height of CD patients in relation to the age at diagnosis: ≤18 yr or >18 yr.METHODS: Questionnaires were sent to CD patients ≥18 yr of age, who were either members of the Israeli Celiac Association or patients followed by the pediatric gastroenterology unit, including questions about height, weight, gender, age at diagnosis, and GFD adherence. The height Z scores were calculated for each patient.RESULTS: In total, 290 patients (M/F = 83/207), age 38.9 ± 15.5 yr (range 18-76), were included: 113 were diagnosed before and 177 after 18 yr of age (groups 1 and 2, respectively). The mean adult height was: 178.4 ± 6.6 cm and 176.2 ± 8.6 cm for men (P = 0.22), and 163.0 ± 6.6 cm and 162.6 ± 6.5 cm for women (P = 0.68) in groups 1 and 2, respectively. The height Z scores were 0.230 ± 0.931 and -0.07 ± 1.19 for men (P = 0.22), and -0.05 ± 1.02 and -0.101 ± 0.990 for women (P = 0.68) in groups 1 and 2, respectively. The final height inversely correlated with age at diagnosis in men (R =- 0.275, P = 0.012) but not in women (R =- 1.0, P = not significant [NS]).CONCLUSIONS: The final height of patients with CD is similar to the general population. The adult height of male patients with CD is inversely related to the age at diagnosis. Delayed diagnosis of CD may lead to a shorter adult height in men but not in women.