Celiac Disease a Road Paved with Many Obstacles. Differential Diagnosis in Children

Celiac disease (CD), also known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy or celiac sprue, is defined as a chronic, multifactorial, immune-mediated condition affecting small intestine in genetically susceptible children and adults. Gluten-sensitive enteropathy is characterized by heterogeneous clinical manifestations of variable severity that can occur at any age. For patients with prompt diagnosis and correct treatment the prognosis is excellent. Therefore, CD needs a quick diagnosis in order to start the treatment. Because of the wide range of signs and symptoms, an accurate differential diagnosis is required.