Celiac.com Sponsor:
Celiac.com Sponsor:

  • Join Our Community!

    Get help in our celiac / gluten-free forum.

  • Jefferson Adams

    How Common is Celiac Disease Diagnosis in the Elderly?

    Jefferson Adams

    By Jefferson Adams •


    0
    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.   eNewsletter: Get our eNewsletter

    Caption: Photo: CC--Ethan Prater

    Celiac.com 11/28/2016 - It's clear from research data that what was once thought to be a childhood disease can affect people well into adulthood and old age.

    A team of researchers recently set out to assess rates of celiac disease diagnosis in an elderly population, recording the main clinical features of this group respect to young patients. The research team included R. Tortora, F. Zingone, A. Rispo, C. Bucci, P. Capone, N. Imperatore, N. Caporaso, D. D'Agosto, and C. Ciacci. They are variously affiliated with the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery at the University "Federico II" of Naples in Napes, Italy, and with the Department of Gastroenterology at the University of Salerno in Salerno, Italy.


    Celiac.com Sponsor:



    They conducted a retrospective analysis of celiac disease rates in elderly individuals from 1970 to 2015. They divided patients by age into three groups. Group A included patients 18-34 years old. Group B included patients 35-64 years old. Group C included patients 65 years or older. The team then compared the groups regarding baseline anthropometric and serological variables, clinical features at diagnosis, diagnostic mode, associated autoimmune diseases, and celiac-related neoplastic complications.

    They made a total of 2,812 celiac disease diagnoses in adults, 2.5% of which occurred in patients 65 years or older at diagnosis. When comparing the three groups, they found no differences in sex, haemoglobin, serum iron, albumin, and anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) (p = NS).

    They did find higher values of cholesterol, glycemia, and triglycerides in older patients (p < 0.0001). Elderly had higher rates of diagnosis for malabsorption symptoms compared to younger patients (OR 2.20, 95%CI 1.3-3.74). The team also found no difference in the risk of autoimmune celiac-related diseases between groups. The researchers found 16 neoplastic complications, 13 of them in patients diagnosed with celiac disease between 35-64 years of age.

    The number of celiac disease diagnoses increased over time, particularly in elderly. These results show that celiac disease diagnosis in the elderly population is uncommon, but not rare.

    Elderly celiac patients face a greater risk of being diagnosed with malabsorption symptoms than younger patients, but with a lowr risk of autoimmune and neoplastic complications.

    Source:

    0
    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Guest Elvwnk

    Very interesting article...thank you. I'm a home health care provider, and work with the elderly. I often notice anemia and vitamin D deficiencies in medical histories, and wonder about celiac. This answers a question I've had for a while.

    Share this comment

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Join the conversation

    You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×

  • 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, and has authored more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously served as SF Health News Examiner for Examiner.com, and devised health and medical content for Sharecare.com. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of the book "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

  • Related Articles

    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 01/16/2015 - Most people with celiac disease suffer from classic symptoms like weight-loss and diarrhea before diagnosis, right? Wrong. In fact, the most common medical issues for people with celiac disease might really surprise you.
    A team of researchers who recently looked at data on 770 celiac patients admitted to S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital from January 1998 to...
    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 06/29/2016 - As part of a call for public comment that expired on May 30, 2016 at 8:00 PM EST, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued a Draft Recommendation Statement regarding celiac disease screening.
    The draft was distributed solely for the purpose of receiving public input. It has not been disseminated otherwise by the USPSTF. The final Recommendation...
    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 09/22/2016 - There really hasn't been much study done on diagnostic delays and factors associated with celiac disease, as well as on its potential impact on the course of disease.
    To get a better idea of the issue, a research team recently conducted a large systematic patient survey study among unselected celiac disease patients in Switzerland.
    The research team...

  • A12 Celiac.com Sponsor:



  • Forum Discussions
    wanita

    what test results mean

    can you tell me what these results mean   T-Transglutaminase, IgA <2 U/mL 0 - 3 U/mL   Negative 0 - 3 Weak Positive 4 - 10 Positive >10 Tissue Tr...
    Becky.H

    Need help with a cereal (Corn free)

    I have a corn and wheat allergy. I stick to puffed rice or oatmeal, and I do a fair amount of fruit and yogurt, although brand choice is limited, look for brands with rice starch as a thickener(liberte). Also, if you are going to eat back...
    Jan Meindfak

    Diagnosis

    Hey all!  After dealing with GI problems for years, 4 months ago I decided to finally start doing something about it and find a cause. My TTG IGA came back positive (90 with <20 meaning positive), but EMA IGA and IGG negative, which ...