Tuberculosis and tuberculin skin test reactivity in pediatric patients with celiac disease.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine tuberculin skin test reactivity and associated factors in pediatric patients with celiac disease (CD).

METHODS: Tuberculin skin test (TST) was performed on 28 patients with CD aged from 1 year to 15 years (mean, 6.64±4.8) and 28 healthy age and sex-matched children. The association between TST reactivity and parameters such as age, gender, malnutrition, clinical presentation, compliance to gluten free diet and response to hepatitis A and B vaccinations were determined.

RESULTS: No difference was observed in TST reactivity (induration size) between the patients with CD and healthy controls. Thirty-two percent (9/28) of the patients were anergic, and one-third of these nine patients had malnutrition. No significant difference was observed between TST-positive and TST-negative patients in terms of age, gender, malnutrition, compliance to gluten-free diet and response to hepatitis A and B vaccinations (P>0.05). One of 11 patients with positive TST had tuberculosis disease and 10 had latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), whereas none of the controls had LTBI or tuberculosis disease (P=0.0007).

CONCLUSIONS: Although based on a small number of cases, it seems that children with CD are more susceptible to tuberculosis than healthy children. TST can be used to identify BCG-vaccinated children with CD who are probably infected with M. tuberculosis, similarly to healthy children.