FOR THE FIRST TIME IN CROATIA - TESTING A LARGE NUMBER OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN ON CELIAC DISEASE
Ms. Marina Milinović and Ms. Marijana Smoljan, Croatian Celiac Disease Society representatives from Rijeka, met Mr. Zvonimir Šostar, director of Public Health Institution "Dr. Andrija Štampar" from Zagreb in order to foster joint cooperation, on 6th April 2018.
Society will perform rapid testing of 1500 pre-school children on celiac disease in the frame of Focus IN CD pilot activity. Croatian Public Health Institution will also test about 2000 children, so they agreed about information and data exchange.
Such a large sample of preschool children will be tested in Croatia for the first time.
The Association and the Public Health Institution have the same goals: early diagnosis and prevention of other related diseases. The results of these studies will serve as a basis for the preparation of new recommendations for celiac disease management.
Both institutions agreed that celiac disease patients should have more comprehensive health care treatment. Non diagnosed or misdiagnosed patients have severe complications with associated diseases. The health care system should address the issue of cost-effectiveness of patient treatment in relation to investment in preventive programs.
Due to this meeting first steps into this direction were made.
