Epidemiological and clinical features in immigrant children with coeliac disease: an Italian multicentre study.

Abstract Background. There are no available data concerning the incidence and the clinical pattern of coeliac disease in immigrant children coming to Italy from developing countries. Aims. To evaluate the epidemiological and clinical features of coeliac immigrant children coming to Italy. Patients and methods. Hospital records of 1917 children diagnosed in 22 Italian Centres from 1999 to 2001 as having coeliac disease were retrospectively reviewed, comparing immigrant patients versus Italian ones. Results. 36/1917 (1.9%) coeliac children were immigrant. This prevalence was similar to that of the immigrant children among the whole paediatric population living in Italy. Prevalence was influen…