Diabetes and Celiac Disease

Photo: CC--bodytel

A team of researchers recently investigated whether celiac disease influences risk for non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and metabolic syndrome.

Image: CC--stradavarius

The connection between celiac disease and type 1 diabetes mellitus is well known. Up to now, very little has been reported about rates of celiac disease in children and adults with type 1 diabetes in Sicily.

Photo: CC--Sporgz

A new study shows that longstanding celiac disease is associated with an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Photo: CC--Jill A. Brown

Researchers have documented rising rates of celiac disease in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). A research team recently tried to assess the effect of celiac disease on growth and glycemic control in patients with T1D, and to determine the effects of a gluten-free diet on these parameters.

Photo: CC--DeathByBokeh

People with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) suffer from celiac disease at rates ranging from 4.4 to 11.1%, compared with rates of 0.5% for the general population.

Photo: CC - woodleywonderworks

Celiac disease is common in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). These people can show Abs reactions against tissue transglutaminase, the prime trigger in celiac disease. In short, gliadin seems to play a role in type 1 diabetes pathogenesis.

A research team recently set out to determine whether celiac disease in a group of DM1 patients is connected with a different expression of certain hemostatic factors, and with a different manifestation and/or progression of microvascular complications of DM1, as compared to patients with diabetes alone.

A team of researchers recently set out to determine whether delaying gluten introduction in infants with genetic risk for islet autoimmunity is feasible, safe, and able to reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes–associated islet autoimmunity.

New Journal of Pediatrics study deals with diabetic kids with celiac disease.

Children who have both type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, and who also delay a gluten-free diet are about as healthy as kids with type 1 diabetes alone, according to a report in the Journal of Pediatrics.

To screen or not to screen diebetics for celiac disease?

Modern scientists agree that scientific evidence connects celiac disease with Type 1 Diabetes. What scientists fail to agree on is what to do about the connection between the two autoimmune diseases. Some scientists promote celiac screening for all patients with type 1 Diabetes, while other scientists disagree.

Photo: CC/Horia Varlan

There is mounting evidence that people with Type 1 diabetes are at high risk for celiac disease. Even with that knowledge, it is estimated that 97% of people with celiac disease go undiagnosed, which begs the question,  'should there be routine screening for celiac disease in those with type 1 diabetes'? Dr. Speiser and Dr. Rosenzweig explore the question  the further.

Researchers have found that celiac disease often precedes Type 1 diabetes in children with both conditions, and that up to 10% of children with Type 1 have clinical celiac disease, according to findings presented at Gastro 2009 in London, UK by T. Hansson of Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden.

Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa found that nearly half of patients with type 1 diabetes showed an abnormal immune response to wheat proteins.

Could a reduced level of antibodies against infectious agents indicate a protective role for such infections in T1DM development in susceptible individuals? Recent research points in that direction.

People with certain genetic markers may be more likely to develop adverse gut-reactions, which may help trigger the development of other immune problems, such as Type 1 diabetes, according to Dr. Fraser Scott, a member of the research team and a senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Due to seemingly low rates of beta-cell autoimmunity among children with celiac disease, there is no need to screen these children for diabetes-related antibodies, according to a report by Italian doctors in the February issue of Diabetes Care.

About 10% of children and 2% of adults with Type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease, as compared to just 1% of the general population. Moreover, celiac disease and diabetes are known to have a common genetic susceptibility locus in the HLA system, specifically, HLA class II alleles on chromosome six.

This study investigated the effect of screening detected celiac disease in type I diabetic children in a multi-center case-control fashion. The research team consisted of B Rami, Z Sumni, E Schober et al from Austria, Czech Republic, and Slovenia, among other European countries. The team compared 98 diabetics with silent celiac disease to 196 control diabetics without celiac matched for age, sex, diabetes duration. Mean age at diabetes diagnosis was 6.5 yrs, celiac diagnosis was 10.0 yrs. HbA1c, hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis, insulin dosage, body-mass index, and height did not differ between cases and controls. After diagnosis of celiac disease, weight gain was diminished in boys with celiac disease compared to their controls.

Celiac.com 08/14/2007 - A study on the effects of a gluten-free diet versus a gluten-enriched diet

Celiac.com 07/10/2007 - Studies have shown children with Type 1 diabetes to have a greater risk