Tuberculosis and tuberculin skin test reactivity in pediatric patients with celiac disease.

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to determine tuberculin skin test reactivity and associated factors in pediatric patients with celiac disease (CD).

METHODS

Tuberculin skin test (TST) was performed on 28 patients with CD aged from 1 year to 15 years (mean, 6.64±4.8) and 28 healthy age and sex-matched children. The association between TST reactivity and parameters such as age, gender, malnutrition, clinical presentation, compliance to gluten free diet and response to hepatitis A and B vaccinations were determined.

RESULTS

No difference was observed in TST reactivity (induration size) between the patients with CD and healthy controls. Thirty-two percent (9/28) of the patients were anergic, and one-third of these nine patients had malnutrition. No significant difference was observed between TST-positive and TST-negative patients in terms of age, gender, malnutrition, compliance to gluten-free diet and response to hepatitis A and B vaccinations (P>0.05). One of 11 patients with positive TST had tuberculosis disease and 10 had latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), whereas none of the controls had LTBI or tuberculosis disease (P=0.0007).

CONCLUSIONS

Although based on a small number of cases, it seems that children with CD are more susceptible to tuberculosis than healthy children. TST can be used to identify BCG-vaccinated children with CD who are probably infected with M. tuberculosis, similarly to healthy children.