What's the Celiac Risk for Close Relatives of People with the Disease?

Celiac.com 11/18/2015 - Researchers have known for some time that first-degree relatives (FDRs) of celiac patients are at high risk for developing the disease, and that prevalence among them varies from 1.6 to 38%. However, not much is known about specific risk levels when the FDR is sister, brother, mother, father, son, or daughter of a celiac patient.

A team of researchers recently conducted a meta-analysis and calculated pooled prevalence of celiac disease among FDRs, second-degree relatives (SDRs), and specific relations with given celiac patients. The research team included P. Singh, S. Arora, S. Lal, T.A. Strand, G.K. Makharia. They are variously affiliated with the Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Max Healthcare, Gurgaon, India; Medical Services Division, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway; and the Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Pooled celiac disease rates were highest in siblings, at 8.9%, followed by offspring, at 7.9%, and parents, at 3.0%.

A total of 8.4% of female FDRs showed rates of celiac disease compared to 5.2% male FDRs (P=0.047).

Sisters and daughters of a primary patient had the highest risk of having celiac disease, at 1 in 7 and 1 in 8, respectively), compared to a risk of 1 in 13 in sons, 1 in 16 in brothers, 1 in 32 in mothers, and 1 in 33 in fathers.

The data also revealed differences in the pooled prevalence of celiac disease in FDRs according to their geographic location.

Average pooled rates of celiac disease among FDRs is 7.5%, but the actual rate for a given individual varies widely based on their relationship with the primary celiac patient, and is also influenced by gender and geographical location.

Source:

• Am J Gastroenterol. 2015 Sep 29. doi: 10.1038/ajg.2015.296.