Adolescents with Celiac Disease have Higher Prevalence of Mental Disorders

Psychosomatics 45:325-335, August 2004

Celiac.com 07/30/2004 - Past studies have reported a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms in adults with celiac disease, perhaps due to serotonergic dysfunction, and an increased prevalence of depressive and disruptive behavioral disorders in adolescence with the disease, especially before treatment. In an effort to further study any possible connections, researchers looked at 29 adolescents with celiac disease and 29 matched controls. The researchers used semi-structured psychiatric interviews and symptom measurement scales to examine all subjects. Their findings indicate that the subjects with celiac disease had significantly higher prevalence of major depressive disorder compared to the controls--31% versus 7%, and a significantly higher prevalence of disruptive behavior disorders--28% versus 3%. The researchers also found that most of the mental disorders occurred before the patients were diagnosed and treated with a gluten-free diet. The prevalence of current mental disorders was similar in both of the groups studied.