Abstract

Twenty children with coeliac disease were diagnosed over a five year period in an area with 10,000-12,000 births per year. The average annual incidence was 1:3000 births. All children presented with severe symptoms and rickets was not uncommon (25%). Mean age at onset of symptoms was 38 months (range 6-120) and 72 months at the time of diagnosis (range 13-192), with a mean delay of 34 months. No cases were diagnosed during infancy. The difficulties in the differentiation of coeliac disease from the more common causes of chronic diarrhoea, and problems with diagnosis and management are discussed.