The Relationship Between Child Mortality Rates and Prevalence of Celiac Disease.

Objectives: Some evidence suggests that prevalence of celiac disease in the general population is increasing over time. Since the prognosis of celiac disease was a dismal one before discovering the role of gluten, our aim was to investigate a possible relationship between children under five-mortality rates and prevalence rates of celiac disease. Methods: Thanks to a literature review, we found 27 studies performed in 17 different countries describing the prevalence of celiac disease in schoolchildren; between 1995 and 2011, 4 studies were performed in Italy. A meta-analysis of prevalence rates was performed. Prevalence was compared between specific-country under-five mortality groups, publication year and age. Results: In the last decades, under-five mortality rates have been decreasing all over the world. This reduction is paralleled by an increase of the prevalence of celiac disease. The Spearman correlation coefficient was -63%, 95%CI -82% to -33% (p

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