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- Johansson, Karolina, et al.
(author)
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Dietitian visits were a safe and cost-effective form of follow-up care for children with celiac disease
- 2019
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In: Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics. - : Wiley. - 0803-5253. ; 108:4, s. 676-680
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: This study compared follow-up protocols for paediatric celiac disease (CD) led by either paediatricians or dietitians at Swedish university hospitals. Methods: We followed 363 CD patients under 18 years at the university hospitals in Malmö (n = 140) and Lund (n = 79) between 2011 and 2013 and after they merged to become Skåne (n = 144) between 2014 and 2016. Both Lund and Malmö provided regular paediatrician follow-up visits, whereas Skåne provided mainly dietitian-led visits. Results: Children at Lund were followed for a mean of 1.0 ± 0.5 visits per year, compared to 0.7 ± 0.6 at Malmö (p < 0.0001) and 0.9 ± 0.6 at Skåne (p = 0.11). The ratio of annual paediatrician to dietitian annual visits was 1.4:1.0 at Lund, which was higher than Malmö (0.9:1.0; p = 0.0017) and Skåne (0.6:1.0; p < 0.0001). There was no difference in the prevalence of non-compliant patients between the clinics (p = 0.26, Malmö 13.6%, Lund 10.1%, Skåne 7.6%). Tissue transglutaminase autoantibody levels reversed equally over time at all three clinics after the subjects started a gluten-free diet (r = -0.55, p < 0.0001). The total mean annual cost per patient was lowest at Malmö and highest at Lund (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Dietary compliance was similar regardless of whether care was provided by a dietitian or paediatrician. Dietitian-led follow-up visits may provide lower long-term costs.
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