Coeliac disease in north-eastern Libya

We studied 243 children aged between 6 months and 18 years presenting with features suggestive of coeliac disease to Al-Fateh Children's Hospital, Benghazi, Libya from 1976 to 1993. The diagnosis of coeliac disease was made using the revised diagnostic criteria of the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Seventy-seven of the children conformed to these criteria. The demographic and clinical features of the disease were studied and compared with other studies in Arab countries and elsewhere. The male:female ratio was 1:1.3. Weight loss, anaemia, anorexia, diarrhoea and abdominal distention, in descending order of frequency, were the most frequently occurring clinical features. Jejunal biopsy is mandatory for the diagnosis of coeliac disease.