CR Meijer et al. Gastroenterol 2022; 163: 426-436. Open access: Prediction Models for Celiac Disease Development in Children From High-Risk Families: Data From the PreventCD Cohort

B Lebwohl, L Greco. Gastroenterol 2022; 163: 368-369 (editorial). Open access: Can We Predict the Onset of Celiac Disease?

Design: “In this study, the investigators analyze long-term follow-up data from the PreventCD trial, a randomized trial of infants [n=944] with a first-degree relative with CD that was designed to test the strategy of low-dose gluten introduction at age 4 months. The trial did not show that this strategy reduced the risk of CD development,⁷ but the abundant data collected during this trial have allowed these investigators to study risk factors for the development of CD among the trial participants.” The median f/u was 8.3 yrs.

Key points from study and editorial:

• 135/944 (14%) children developed CD (mean age, 4.3 years)
• CD developed significantly more often in girls (P = .005) and in Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-DQ2 homozygous individuals (8-year cumulative incidence rate of 35.4%
• Prediction application calculator with screening recommendations https://hputter.shinyapps.io/preventcd/. This screening calculator generally recommends screening every 6 months for those at greastest risk and every 12 months for those at lower risk.

HLA testing in this setting has historically been performed primarily due to its excellent negative predictive value. Because HLA DQ2 and DQ8 are present in nearly 100% of people with CD, the primary value of its use has been in ruling out CD when an individual is found to have neither haplotype. This study shows some usefulness in predicting the likelihood of CD.

My take: This study showed 14% of high-risk children developed celiac disease and the number is likely to escalate with more time. In first-degree relatives, checking HLA-DQ2/8–typing may help determine frequency of screening in asymptomatic individuals –though simply choosing to screen every 1-2 years would be a reasonable alternative.

It should be noted that current expert guidelines provide divergent advice; “NASPGHAN recommends that asymptomatic children in high-risk groups (including first-degree relatives) be screened, ⁴ but the United States Preventive Services Task Force concluded that the evidence is insufficient to warrant recommending for or against screening asymptomatic individuals.”

Related blog posts:

• Celiac Studies -Increasing Prevalence (Italy) and Nonadherence Risks
• Celiac Disease Epidemic?
• Improving Care Process in Celiac Disease
• How Often Do Adults Develop Celiac Disease After Negative Testing?
• #NASPGHAN19 Postgraduate Course (part 2)
• Celiac Disease: “”80 percent of success is just showing up”

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