Q & AReturn to ->Ask the Doctor->Tests and Their Results | QUESTION: As a celiac, I am concerned about introducing gluten into my infant son's diet. I am aware of the complications of CD during the most critical developmental years (delayed development and growth, learning disabilities, etc.), and would prefer not to put him through that. If he's never ingested gluten, is there a test to indicate if he has CD? | | DR. LEWIS: Great question! Several research studies show that slow introduction of gluten to an infant between four and six months of age actually helps prevent the onset of celiac disease in children. Of course, keeping someone gluten free for the first few years would also effectively prevent them from getting celiac disease during the time they are off gluten. The chance of a child of a mother with CD developing celiac disease some day is about 1 in 20. Unfortunately, there is not a test to detect celiac disease if he's never ingested gluten, but you might ask for the HLA testing to see if the child is even susceptible for getting CD. |
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