Celiac disease and alopecia areata in a child with Down's syndrome.

Doctors followed one child with Down's syndrome who lost all scalp hair. The child also had celiac disease. They removed every food with gluten for several months. They watched if hair grew back.

No extra drugs or creams were used. Only the diet changed. This is a single-case report, so results apply just to this child.

The boy's hair slowly returned until he had a full head of hair again. His stomach pain and loose stools also stopped. The team linked the hair regrowth to the gluten-free diet.

Adams et al. (2024) looked at a larger group of kids with Down's syndrome plus celiac disease. They found no extra behavior problems and slightly better daily-living skills, which fits the idea that celiac can hide in this population.

Fatoba et al. (2025) used genetic data and found celiac disease does not cause autism. That seems to clash with our case, but the papers ask different questions. Our child had Down's, not autism, and we only show co-occurrence, not cause.

Acosta et al. (2024) saw language gains in autistic toddlers on gluten-free diets. Like our case, diet change paired with a developmental benefit, but the kids and outcomes differ.

If a client with Down's syndrome suddenly loses hair, think celiac. Order the blood test before you try behavior plans for hair-pulling. A quick diet change may fix both gut and hair problems without extra meds. Share the result with the pediatrician so screening becomes routine.