A nurse is assessing a preschool-age child who has celiac disease. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which ingestion of gluten causes inflammation and damage to the villi of the small intestine. This villous atrophy leads to poor absorption of nutrients, especially fats, resulting in malabsorption symptoms. Children with celiac disease often present with gastrointestinal disturbances, poor growth, and nutritional deficiencies. Recognizing the characteristic clinical findings helps guide diagnosis and dietary management. Rationale: A. Polyphagia refers to excessive hunger and is more commonly associated with conditions such as diabetes mellitus rather than celiac disease. Children with celiac disease often have poor appetite, abdominal discomfort, and malabsorption that may lead to weight loss rather than increased food intake. Therefore, polyphagia is not an expected finding. B. Obesity is not a typical presentation of celiac disease because nutrient malabsorption usually leads to poor weight gain, weight loss, or failure to thrive. Due to damaged intestinal villi, the child is unable to absorb nutrients effectively, resulting in undernutrition rather than excessive weight gain. This makes obesity an unlikely expected finding. C. Chronic constipation can occur occasionally but is not the classic or most expected manifestation of celiac disease. The condition more commonly causes diarrhea and bulky stools due to fat malabsorption. Constipation is less characteristic and would not be the priority finding the nurse expects during assessment. D. Steatorrhea is an expected finding because damaged intestinal villi reduce the absorption of fats, causing stools to become bulky, pale, foul-smelling, and greasy. This fat malabsorption is one of the hallmark signs of celiac disease. The presence of steatorrhea strongly suggests impaired nutrient absorption associated with gluten sensitivity.