American Journal of Psychiatry 163:521-528, March 2006

Celiac.com 03/14/2006 – Danish researchers have found yet another link between celiac disease and schizophrenia. In a large epidemiologic study the researchers looked at 7,704 Danish people who were diagnosed with schizophrenia between 1981 and 1998, including their parents, and matched them to comparison control subjects. The data linkage required that the autoimmune disease be diagnosed before the diagnosis of schizophrenia. The researchers found that patients with a history of an autoimmune disease had a 45% increased risk for schizophrenia, and nine autoimmune disorders were indicators of a higher prevalence for schizophrenia when compared to the controls. The researchers conclude: “Schizophrenia is associated with a larger range of autoimmune diseases than heretofore suspected. Future research on co-morbidity has the potential to advance understanding of pathogenesis of both psychiatric and autoimmune disorders.”

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