Objective: Coeliac disease is a chronic disease and is common all over the world. It has many other associated systemic side effects. This study investigated the effect of paternal and maternal  silent coeliac disease on birthweight and gestational age in newborns.

Methods: The study group consisted of 81 newborns who were hospitalized for prematurity or term-intrauterine growth retardation. The parents of premature and/or small for gestational age babies born with coeliac disease-specific antigens were investigated.

Results: The differences were not statistically significant in fathers’ tissue transglutaminase levels between premature appropriate gestational age, premature small gestational age and term small gestational age infants (p > 0.05), but  statistically significant in mothers (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Silent coeliac disease may occur  in parents, especially in mothers of preterm and small for gestational age infants, even in the absence of apparent clinical indications.