Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Help Celiac.com:
    eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Record is Archived

    This article is now archived and is closed to further replies.

    Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

    Celiac Disease and Liver Disorders

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Celiac.com 12/06/2007 - About one person or so in every hundred has celiac disease, which means they suffer from a variety of associated symptoms along with intestinal damage and associated conditions. Research shows a connection between celiac disease and a variety of hepatic disorders. People with celiac disease have a higher instance of certain disorders of the liver. One of the most commonly presented liver problems among celiac patients is isolated hypertransaminasemia with non-specific histologic changes.

    Following a gluten-free diet usually returns the liver enzymes and histologic function to their normal state. People with celiac disease can also have unrelated liver conditions, such as primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, or primary sclerosing cholangitis.

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    Most people don’t know much, if anything about celiac disease. Even most people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance face a long learning curve to get up to speed on all of the related issues that concern them. Many people with celiac disease understand that it is a condition in which an auto-immune mediated reaction to the presence of gluten from wheat, rye or barley cause damage to the lining of the intestine, which, if left untreated exposes them to greater risks of certain types of cancer, along with diabetes, and many other conditions.

    Even though it is well known among physicians that celiac disease is associated with a variety of other conditions, until recently, those associated with malabsorption were the best documented. Most doctors and researchers believed that these associated conditions were the direct result of, or closely associated with the malabsorption and a compromised nutrient uptake facing untreated celiac patients.  

    Recently, however, evidence has begun to emerge that shows celiac disease to be a multi-system disorder that might affect a wide array of organs, including the bones, the heart, the skin, the liver, and the nervous system. Evidence is emerging that shows that beyond damaging the liver outright, celiac disease might also compound the impact of chronic liver diseases when the two occur together.

    To better understand the relationship between celiac disease and various liver disorders, researchers Alberto Rubio-Tapia and Joseph A. Murray conducted a review aimed at exploring the spectrum and pathogenesis of liver maladies associated with celiac disease, and to better describe the connection between celiac disease and those liver maladies to better establish a baseline for diagnosis and therapy to help those with chronic liver ailments and to better diagnose and treat celiac disease.

    Study Method
    In June 2007, the researchers searched PubMed for English-language journals that included full-length articles with the following keywords: celiac disease, sprue, liver disorders, liver involvement, liver tests, hepatitis, cholangitis, and cirrhosis. The researchers looked at 259 cases of patients with chronic hepatitis C, and found that they were three times more likely than a control group of normal volunteers to have celiac disease. The rate was 1.2% versus .4% for the control group.

    A second study showed a prevalence of celiac in 534 patients with chronic hepatitis to be 1.3%. Lastly, people with celiac disease show a high rate of non-response to hepatitis B vaccine. Non-response rates were 54% in children with celiac disease and 68% in adult celiacs.

    Hemochromatosis
    Celiac’s connection to hemochromatosis is twofold. Case histories show that iron overload and diagnosis of hereditary hemochromatosis often follows successful celiac treatment. Also, British patients with celiac disease showed a greater occurrence of mutation in the gene (HFE) controlling hemochromatosis, which might indicate that enhanced iron production is an adaptation to the reduced nutrient absorption associated with celiac. However, a study of Italian celiac patients showed no such increase in mutations. Researchers suspect that any relationship might be coincidental, as both conditions affect large numbers of Caucasians.

    Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
    About 10% to 25% of the general population will develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.  Nearly 1 in 3 Americans diagnosed with celiac disease is overweight or obese. Two different studies have shown the number of biopsy-confirmed celiac disease in about 3.5%, or over three times that of the normal population.

    Liver Transplant
    Of 185 patients who underwent transplant, 4.3%, over 4 times the normal population, were positive for celiac disease. In nearly all cases, the cause of the end-stage liver disease requiring transplantation was autoimmune.

    Gluten Withdrawal
    In patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a gluten-free diet coincided with a normalization of liver blood test abnormalities, but the exact effects of a gluten-free diet on liver abnormalities in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and other liver disorders needs to be clarified through further study.

    Conclusions
    A gluten-free diet is an effective medical therapy for most patients with celiac disease and liver disorders. The effect of a gluten-free diet on the progression of liver diseases associated with celiac disease is less clear. Clearly more studies need to be conducted to further elucidate the relationship between celiac disease and various disorders of the liver.

    HEPATOLOGY 2007; 46:1650-1658.



    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Guest Suzanne

    Posted

    Interesting, but it would be helpful to have references included.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest mary ellsworth kopetchne

    Posted

    interesting

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Christine Phillips

    Posted

    I am so pleased to read an article which directly addresses celiac and liver disease - tragically, my family know first hand the connections. Thank you.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Irène Mongrain

    Posted

    I didn't know I would be susceptible to liver disease just by having a diagnosis of celiac disease. I now know differently.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Isabel Cartotenuto MD

    Posted

    The gene for hemochromatosis and the gene for celiac disease are both on chromosome six adjacent to one another.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Wendy Nielson

    Posted

    I think any information concerning the disease is helpful. There are so many different symptoms that manifest at any given time. Thank You.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Joyce Petree

    Posted

    We need all the latest info and research data for this disease as it is far more complex and far more damaging than what appears in most information available to patients suffering from it.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Ann Turner

    Posted

    Five years after diagnosis with celiac sprue and faithfully on a gluten free diet my liver enzymes did return to normal with fibrosis remaining.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest

    Thank you for keeping the celiacs updated

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Marjorie Wheeler

    Posted

    I had increased liver function for 16 years prior to being properly diagnosed with Celiac. I even had a liver biopsy and told I had auto-immune hepatitis. Great Article

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Anneliese Potter

    Posted

    Find this information useful since I have increased liver function studies.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Linda Spataccino

    Posted

    My daughter was recently diagnosed with celiac so we are ever learning. Right before she was diagnosed with celiac they had found a cyst on her liver. I wonder if there is a connection. Thanks for the info

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Guest
    This is now closed for further comments

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Help Celiac.com:
    Donate
  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Related Articles

    Scott Adams
    Author: Hagander B; Berg NO; Brandt L; Nord en A; Sj olund K; Stenstam M.
    Source: Lancet, 1977 Aug 6, 2:8032, 270-2.
    In an attempt to determine the frequency of liver injury in adult coeliac disease (A.C.D.) the case records of 74 consecutive patients were examined. In 13 cases histological sections of the liver were available and in 5 of these there were signs of reactive hepatitis. Histological signs of distinct hepatic injury with cirrhosis and/or chronic active hepatitis were found in 7 other patients. In 5 of these serum-IgA was normal, whereas 16 out of 20 control patients with liver cirrhosis not associated with A.C.D. had raised serum-IgA. Serum-aspartate-aminotransferase and serum-alanine-aminotransferase were determined in 53 patients; 29 had raised concentrations...


    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 06/22/10 - A research team set out to examine gut diseases and prognostic factors tied to non-cirrhotic intrahepatic portal hypertension. The team included C. E. Eapen, Peter Nightingale, Stefan G. Hubscher, Peter J. Lane, Timothy Plant, Dimitris Velissaris, and Elwyn Elias.
    The prognosis for non-cirrhotic intrahepatic portal hypertension (NCIPH) is usually benign. Assessment of a cohort study followed-up at a tertiary referral center leads the research team to hypothesize that gut-derived prothrombotic factors may contribute to the pathogenesis and prognosis of NCIPH.
    The team conducted a retrospective analysis of celiac disease indicators in 34 NCIPH patients. They also looked for associated gut conditions.
    Survival rates for transplant-free NCIPH patients from...


    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 11/25/2010 - Portal hypertension is high blood pressure within the portal vein and its tributaries. Non-cirrhotic intrahepatic portal hypertension (NCIPH) is portal hypertension that occurs within the liver, that is not triggered by cirrhosis. NCIPH is generally regarded to have a benign prognosis.
    A research team examined whether gut-derived prothrombotic factors may contribute to the pathogenesis and prognosis of non-cirrhotic intrahepatic portal hypertension (NCIPH). Their results led them to conclude that gut-derived prothrombotic factors may in fact contribute to the pathogenesis and prognosis of NCIPH.
    The team included C. E. Eapen, Peter Nightingale, Stefan G. Hubscher, Peter J. Lane, Timothy Plant, Dimitris Velissaris, and Elwyn Elias.
    For their study, the...


    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 07/23/2014 - Transaminasemia develops through various pathways in patients with celiac disease. Currently, there is not much information on risk factors specifically attributable to celiac disease.
    A team of researchers recently set out to determine what factors contribute to hypertransaminasemia in patients with celiac disease. The research team included B. Zanini B, R. Baschè A., Ferraresi, M.G. Pigozzi, C. Ricci, F. Lanzarotto, V. Villanacci, and A. Lanzini.
    They analyzed data collected from consecutive patients referred from January 1997 through December 2009 to the celiac disease clinic at the Spedali Civili of Brescia, Italy. They then used serologic and biopsy analysis to assess the factors influencing hypertransaminasemia in 683 patients with celiac disease (...


  • Recent Activity

    1. - CatherineWang replied to B1rdL0ver's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      40

      Dealing with constant nausea and just feeling awful.

    2. - cristiana replied to BunnyBrown's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      3

      Recently had my esophagus dilated

    3. - cristiana replied to twe0708's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      54

      How Long Do Celiac Patients Live?

    4. - Exchange Students replied to Exchange Students's topic in Parents, Friends and Loved Ones of Celiacs
      2

      Exchange Students who are celiac in need of host

    5. - Scott Adams replied to Exchange Students's topic in Parents, Friends and Loved Ones of Celiacs
      2

      Exchange Students who are celiac in need of host


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      120,159
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Marie Cooper
    Newest Member
    Marie Cooper
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.2k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Popular Now

    • Sunflowers06
      6
    • Momkaren
      10
    • Elizabeth M Blair
      5
    • B1rdL0ver
    • twe0708
      54
  • Popular Articles

    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
  • Upcoming Events

×
×
  • Create New...