[Gluten enteropathy in children from south-eastern France (author's transl)].

Between 1969 and 1979, 123 cases of gluten-induced enteropathy were diagnosed in south-eastern France. The overall incidence of the disease was estimated at approximately one for 4 600 births. The mean age of the patients was 3.2 years. At the time of diagnosis, 71 children (57,7%) were less than 2 years old, and 52 children (42,3%) were above that age. There was a strong predominance of girls (60%) and North-Africans (48%). Children younger than 2 years presented with the usual malabsorption syndrome, whereas growth retardation, often isolated, was the main feature in older children. The relative increase observed since 1976 in the number of patients of the latter group despite a lower incidence of the disease was probably due to the withdrawal of infants' foods containing gluten. In 58 children followed up dietetic measures resulted in rapid clinical improvement, but healing of the mucosal lesions was much slower (19 months on average). In 28 patients who could be followed for longer periods, reintroducing gluten into the diet regularly led to histological relapse. These patients, however, had been selected for particular reasons. The true incidence of transient intolerance to gliadin is difficult to determine, since most subjects in perfect health refuse control biopsies.