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WHY NEOCEL?
944 newborns from families with one celiac proband were followed up from birth to 8 years in 10 European countries in the PREVENT-CD project. 103 of them developed Celiac Disease: comparing them with the 841 which did not develop the disease it was possible to discover the risk factors associated to the development of Celiac Disease, since the birth of infants. Infants that inherited from parents a double copy of the DQ2 HLA gene had a 25% risk to become celiac, as compared to a 7% risk for those who inherited one single copy of the same gene. It is now possible to estimate the risk to become celiac at birth, by analysing the genotype of the parents and the newborns. This allows to establish a surveillance system tailored to the risk of the individual newborn, to reach the diagnosis before the onset of disturbing symptoms and growth failure. This project is likely to reduce or completely avoid, in the vast majority of children, the onset of severe diarrhoea, growth failure, anaemia,
anorexia and many other health problems, since it will be possible to start an intervention, through the analysis of anti-Transglutaminase Antibodies (tTGASE), much before the onset of symptoms. |