Individual screening strategy for pediatric celiac disease

Abstract

In this letter, Poddighe comments on the high (≈15%) prevalence of celiac disease (CD) found in first‑degree relatives (FDRs) of pediatric CD index cases, especially in children under 10 years. He advocates for an individualized screening strategy targeting pediatric FDRs to enable early diagnosis and mitigate growth and developmental issues. The author highlights that most CD children are carriers of the HLA‑DQB1*02:01 allele (around 90%), suggesting HLA genotyping could inform cost-effective screening protocols.