However, the model for Group B showed a trend toward significance ( p = 0.091), raising the possibility that in children with longstanding celiac disease, higher osteoprotegerin levels may be modestly associated with delayed skeletal maturation.
In Group B (previously diagnosed, TTG-negative), the model showed a statistically significant intercept ( p = 0.016), and osteoprotegerin demonstrated a trend toward significance as a positive predictor of delayed bone age (Estimate = 0.470, p = 0.091), though it did not reach the threshold for statistical significance.
Although group differences in weight and BMI did not reach statistical significance, children with celiac disease—particularly those in Group A—more frequently fell below the fifth BMI centile.