Effect of Gluten-Free Diet on Aortic Elasticity in Children with Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a hereditary digestive disease in children associated with an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine. This study aimed to study aortic stiffness in children with celiac disease compared with controls and assess the effects of a gluten-free diet on aortic stiffness parameters.

This case-control study was conducted on 114 children with celiac disease and 57 healthy volunteers. Children with celiac disease comprised three groups: Gluten-free diet (GFD)-responsive, GFD-nonresponsive, and newly diagnosed. Systolic and diastolic diameters of the ascending aorta were recorded by M-mode echocardiography. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Study data had free distribution and nonparametric tests were applied for the analysis. The tests were Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis with P value < 0.05as the significance level.

Aortic strain (11.15 ± 7.47 vs. 13.78 ± 6.95, P = 0.002) and aortic distensibility (6.98 ± 5.03 vs. 8.33 ± 5.13, P = 0.037) were lower in celiac disease (CD) while pressure strain elastic modulus (410.60 ± 247.45 vs. 330.71 ± 216.94, P = 0.012) and aortic strain β index (1.79 ± 0.62 vs. 1.44 ± 0.51, P < 0.001) were higher. The aortic strain significantly differed between control and response to GFD (P = 0.026), control and new diagnosis (P < 0.001), response to GFD and new diagnosis (P = 0.003), and no response to GFD and new diagnosis (P < 0.001) groups. The aortic strain β index differed significantly between control and response to GFD (P ≤ 0.001), control and new diagnosis (P < 0.001), response to GFD and no response to GFD (P = 0.035), response to GFD and new diagnosis (P = 0.002), and no response to GFD and new diagnosis (P < 0.001) groups. Aortic distensibility significantly differed between control and new diagnosis (P < 0.001), response to GFD and new diagnosis (P = 0.037), and no response to GFD and new diagnosis (P = 0.021) groups. Pressure strain elastic modulus significantly differed between control and new diagnosis (P < 0.001), response to GFD and new diagnosis (P = 0.037), and no response to GFD and new diagnosis (P = 0.021) groups.

The present study concluded that the elasticity parameters will change due to celiac disease. Gluten-free diet had no significant effect on aortic stiffing measures except the ASβ index.