en Pediatric Pediatric Original Research: Clinical Science Original Research: Clinical Science The association of celiac disease and type I diabetes mellitus has been known for some time. This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of celiac disease (CD) in diabetic children and adolescents. Eighty-seven patients (44 females, 43 males) aged 2- 18 years, with type I diabetes participated in this study. A group of 87 healthy unrelated girls and boys matched for age and gender served as controls. They were screened for the presence of celiac disease related marker [IgA - endomysial antibody (EMA)] and patients who were EMA positive further investigated with intestinal biopsy. Among diabetic patients a 3.4% prevalence of celiac disease was observed, a value significantly higher than that found among healthy controls. Girls were more frequently EMA positive than boys. Intestinal biopsies of all 3 patients with positive EMA showed a histologic picture confirming the diagnosis of CD. Diabetics with CD were significantly younger, had an earlier onset of diabetes, had a lower height and weight standard deviation score and poorer glycemic control compared with diabetics without CD (p<O.05). We failed to show any significant correlation between EMA- positivity and duration of diabetes. The results suggest EMA - positivity to be a good immunological marker for use in screening for celiac disease and such screening to be justified in our patients with type I diabetes mellitus, regardless of diabetes duration. Adolescents, Children, Celiac disease (CD), 19A - endomysial antibody (EM A), Type 1 diabetes mellitus. 39 43 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-298-109&slc_lang=en&sid=1 H MOAYERI H. Moayeri @ radsa net. 20031947532846003628 20031947532846003628 Yes From the Pediatrics Department. Imam Khomeini Hospital. Faculty of Medicine. Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Tehran. Iran. SH BAHREMAND 20031947532846003629 20031947532846003629 No