%0 Journal Article
%T Coeliac disease: a potentially treatable health problem of Saharawi refugee children
%A R£¿tsch
%A Ilse-Maria
%A Catassi
%A Carlo
%J Bulletin of the World Health Organization
%D 2001
%I World Health Organization
%R 10.1590/S0042-96862001000600010
%X objective: to characterize the clinical and nutritional impact of coeliac disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy) among saharawi children living as refugees in algeria. methods: a total of 65 saharawi children with coeliac disease were compared with 71 age-matched non-coeliac controls. for each participant, the clinical history was taken and a clinical examination, non-quantitative 24-hour dietary recall, anthropometric and skinfold measurements, bioelectric impedance analysis (bia) of body composition, and venous blood sampling for haemoglobin determination were performed. results: gluten-containing food, especially bread, was the staple diet of saharawi children. abdominal pain and distension were significantly commoner among children with coeliac disease than in controls ( p < 0.05). the mean height-for-age was significantly lower in such children than in controls (-2.5 + 1.4 units vs -1.8 + 1.3 units, respectively, p < 0.01). no significant differences were found for either skinfold or bia measurements. haemoglobin values tended to be lower in children with coeliac disease than in controls. conclusions: coeliac disease has a negative effect on the health status of saharawi refugee children. because of the high prevalence of the condition in the saharawi, a specific programme for treating all affected individuals should be established. further studies are required to quantify the impact of coeliac disease in other areas of the developing world.
%K celiac disease [ethnology]
%K diet [adverse effects]
%K health status
%K refugees
%K child
%K africa
%K northern
%K algeria.
%U http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0042-96862001000600010&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en