Celiac.com 10/23/2024 - Cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease and stroke, have long been connected with various immune-mediated disorders due to the role inflammation plays in both conditions. This study explores whether there is a genetic connection between cardiovascular diseases and specific immune-mediated diseases, with a particular focus on psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition that has previously been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is unclear whether the genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease are also linked to an increased risk of psoriasis and other immune-related conditions.

Study Objectives

The main goal of the study was to investigate whether genetic predispositions to coronary artery disease and stroke also increase the risk of developing psoriasis or other immune-mediated diseases. The researchers utilized a method called Mendelian randomization, which uses genetic data to determine whether there is a causal relationship between two traits, as opposed to just an observed association. By using large datasets from genome-wide association studies, the study aimed to uncover whether genetic predictors of cardiovascular disease are directly linked to immune-mediated diseases, such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Methods and Data

To conduct the analysis, the study used Mendelian randomization to evaluate the genetic links between cardiovascular disease and immune-mediated diseases. This approach is particularly effective in differentiating causality from correlation because it uses genetic markers as proxies for risk factors. The researchers analyzed summary data from genome-wide association studies for coronary artery disease, stroke, psoriasis, and nine other immune-mediated diseases. The data included a large sample of participants, with over 1.1 million individuals for cardiovascular disease traits and nearly 500,000 for psoriasis.

The study specifically examined whether genetic markers associated with coronary artery disease and stroke were linked to an increased risk of developing psoriasis or any of the other immune-mediated diseases.

Key Findings

The results of the study revealed that genetic predictors for both coronary artery disease and stroke were significantly associated with an increased risk of psoriasis. In particular, genetic risk factors for coronary artery disease were found to increase the risk of developing psoriasis by about 7%, while genetic risk factors for stroke increased the risk by 22%. Interestingly, when adjustments were made for stroke risk, the association between coronary artery disease and psoriasis became statistically insignificant. This suggests that there may be a shared genetic component that links both cardiovascular diseases and psoriasis, rather than two separate pathways.

On the other hand, the study found no significant genetic link between cardiovascular disease risk factors and other immune-mediated diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. This finding was somewhat unexpected, as these diseases also involve inflammation, which is thought to be a common factor in both cardiovascular disease and immune-mediated disorders.

Genetic Risk and Celiac Disease

The study also explored the relationship between genetic predictors of cardiovascular disease and various immune-mediated diseases, including celiac disease. Data from 4,533 cases of celiac disease and 10,750 controls were included in the analysis. The results indicated no significant association between genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease—such as coronary artery disease or stroke—and the risk of developing celiac disease. This finding suggests that while cardiovascular genetic factors may influence the risk of developing psoriasis, they do not appear to have the same effect on celiac disease or other immune-mediated conditions.

Understanding the Relationship Between Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Disease

The discovery that genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease are linked specifically to psoriasis, but not to other immune-mediated diseases, points to the possibility of a unique shared biological mechanism. Psoriasis is a disease driven by inflammation, and inflammation is also a key factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases like coronary artery disease and stroke. However, the study’s findings suggest that this connection may not extend to all immune-mediated diseases, challenging previous assumptions about the broad relationship between cardiovascular disease and inflammation-driven conditions.

One possible explanation for this connection could lie in the specific inflammatory pathways involved in both cardiovascular disease and psoriasis. Psoriasis is known to involve certain inflammatory cellular and cytokine pathways, and these same pathways may play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease. However, these pathways may not be as significant in other immune-mediated diseases, which could explain the lack of genetic association with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Implications for Treatment and Future Research

The findings of this study have several important implications. First, they highlight the need for further research into the shared genetic mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease and psoriasis. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to the development of new treatments that target both conditions. For example, therapies that reduce inflammation in psoriasis patients could potentially help lower their risk of cardiovascular disease, and vice versa.

Second, the study underscores the importance of personalized medicine. As more is learned about the genetic links between different diseases, it becomes increasingly possible to develop tailored treatments that address an individual's unique genetic risk factors. For patients with psoriasis who are also at risk for cardiovascular disease, this could mean more targeted interventions that address both conditions simultaneously.

Implications for Those with Celiac Disease

The study’s findings highlight the importance of understanding the genetic overlap between cardiovascular disease and psoriasis, but they also underline the distinction when it comes to celiac disease. For those with celiac disease, the results are reassuring as they show no genetic link between cardiovascular risks and the condition. This separation emphasizes that while shared inflammatory pathways may exist between certain immune-mediated diseases and cardiovascular disease, celiac disease does not appear to be influenced by these cardiovascular genetic factors. As such, this research may provide a better understanding of how different immune-mediated diseases interact with cardiovascular health, guiding future research and treatment strategies.

Read more at: jamanetwork.com

Celiac.com 02/13/2023 - Because earlier studies have been small, or relied on sources with limited socio-demographic and lifestyle data, there's conflicting information associating celiac disease with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Prior studies examining the ties between celiac disease and cardiovascular disease have often omitted traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as blood pressure or serum total cholesterol, despite research showing healthier cardiovascular profiles in people with celiac disease.

A team of researchers recently set out to investigate whether people with celiac disease are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including ischaemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The research team included Megan Conroy, Naomi Allen, Ben Lacey, Elizabeth Soilleux and Thomas Littlejohns. They are variously affiliated with theNuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; the UK Biobank, Stockport, UK; and the Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

For their prospective analysis of a large group study, they turned to the UK Biobank database. From between 2006 and 2010, they pulled data on nearly 470,000 adults, just under 2,100 of whom had celiac disease. Participants were aged 40-69 years from England, Scotland, and Wales, and without cardiovascular disease at baseline.

The team focused on the relative risk of cardiovascular disease, ischaemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke in people with celiac disease compared with people who do not have celiac disease, and used Cox proportional hazard models to determine risk levels.

Over an average follow-up of about 12.5 years, the team found nearly 41,000 cardiovascular disease events, with about 220 events in celiac patients. 

Celiacs were less likely to smoke or have traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high body mass index. Even so, they had a higher rate of cardiovascular disease, than their non-celiac peers.

Participants with celiac disease had an incidence rate of 9.0 cardiovascular disease cases per 1,000 person years compared with 7.4 per 1,000 person years in non-celiacs. 

The team connected celiac disease to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, even adjusted for lifestyle factors. The connection was stronger after further adjusting for other cardiovascular risk factors. 

The team found similar connections between ischaemic heart disease and myocardial infarction, but noted fewer stroke events, and saw no evidence of a connection between celiac disease and risk of stroke.

People with celiac disease had a fewer traditional cardiovascular risk factors, but still had a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than non-celiacs. 

Based on these findings, cardiovascular risk scores used in clinical practice may not adequately account for a the higher risk among celiacs. Ideally, this study will help people with celiac disease and their clinicians to improve their awareness regarding the higher cardiovascular risks, and to take relevant precautionary action.

Still, more research is needed to improve our understanding of these connections.

Read more at BMJ Medicine

Celiac.com 11/14/2022 - Some studies have linked coronary artery disease with celiac disease, but hard evidence is scant. To date, there has been no solid medical literature on common risk factors linking celiac disease and coronary artery disease. Risk factors for coronary artery disease include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and tobacco use. However, common risk factors connecting celiac disease and coronary artery disease are poorly documented.

A team of researchers recently set out with three goals. First, to assess potential demographic differences between celiac patients with coronary artery disease and without coronary artery disease. Secondly, to examine the risk factors of coronary artery disease in celiac patients. Lastly, to compare celiac-coronary artery disease patients and matched non-celiac coronary artery disease to see if there are more coronary artery disease risks for people with celiac disease.

The research team included Maryam B. Haider, Paul Naylor, Avijit Das, Syed M. Haider, and Murray N. Ehrinpreis. They are variously affiliated with the Department of Gastroenterology Gastroenterology at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI; the DMC/Wayne State University - Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit, MI; the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, MI; and Binghamton University in Binghamton, NY. 

For their nationwide retrospective case-control study, the team used the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to identify patients admitted between 2016 and 2018 with a principal or secondary diagnosis of celiac disease. They then assessed sociodemographic and clinical risk factors for coronary artery disease in celiacs, and compared the celiac-coronary artery disease patients with the matched non-celiac coronary artery disease group.

Of nearly 24,000 hospitalizations with celiac disease from 2016 to 2018, nearly 20%, were found to have coronary artery disease. Established coronary artery disease risk factors for celiac patients included hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and a family history of coronary artery disease. Interestingly, tobacco use is not a coronary artery disease risk factor in celiac patients. Odds of coronary artery disease were 55% less likely for female celiac patients, compared to male patients. 

The odds of coronary artery disease were 20% greater in patients with essential hypertension, double in patients with type 2 diabetes, and five times higher in celiac patients with hyperlipidemia.

Patients with coronary artery disease had higher rates of iron deficiency anemia, which were nearly 10% for celiac-coronary artery disease patients, compared with just under 8.3% for non-coronary artery disease celiac patients, and just over 7.3% for people with non-celiac coronary artery disease.

The team's findings confirm that, as with non-celiac individuals, males and individuals of Caucasian race with celiac disease face a higher risk of coronary artery disease. 

They also confirmed that celiac-coronary artery disease patients have a higher rates of hyperlipidemia than non-celiac coronary artery disease patients, while celiacs with type 1 diabetes have an early diagnosis of coronary artery disease, compared to celiacs with type 2 diabetes. 

Lastly, they found that iron deficiency anemia is an important risk factor for coronary artery disease in those with celiac disease. 

Teasing out the common links and risk factors for celiac disease and coronary artery disease is important work, and this study helps to advance that cause. Clearly further, and larger, study will be helpful in our ongoing journey to understand the puzzle that makes up the links celiac, coronary artery disease, and other diseases.

Read more in Cureus 14(6): e26151

Celiac.com 04/20/2020 - From 2005 to 2014, hospitals recorded a sharp rise in the numbers of celiac disease patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), according to researcher presenting at the ACC.20 World Congress of Cardiology. 

A team of researchers recently set out to review the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for adults with AMI as a primary diagnosis, and celiac disease as a secondary diagnosis, between 2005-2014. The research team included Manish Gupta, Muhammad Umair Bakhsh and Kamesh Gupta. They are variously affiliated with the Danbury Hospital, Danbury, CT, USA, and the Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA, USA. 

The team identified nearly 6.2 million AMI hospitalizations, of which 3,169 also had a diagnosis for celiac disease. Using survey regression, the researchers figured adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for hospital mortality, and other outcomes. The data showed that the rate of AMI-related hospitalization of celiac patients rose from 0.015% in 2005 to 0.076% in 2014. 

The results showed that celiac+AMI patients tended to be a few years older, on average, and substantially more likely to be female. After adjusting for age, gender, race, Charlson Comorbidity index and hospital level characteristics, the researchers observed that celiac+AMI hospitalizations had a lower odds-ratio for hospital mortality. 

Also, the results showed a slightly shorter length of stay for celiac+AMI patients, but much higher average hospitalization charges of just over $64,058 for celiacs, compared just over $60,000 for non-celiac AMI patients.  

The data show that the number of celiac disease patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rose five times from 2005 to 2014, yet, for unknown reasons, the rates of in-hospital mortality is lower for these patients than in patients without celiac disease. 

The study shows that even though inflammation seems to be causing more AMI hospitalizations in people with celiac disease, celiac patients seem to fare better than non-celiacs.

This study illustrates very clearly some of the higher costs, both physically and monetarily, of having celiac disease. Celiacs see more hospital admissions for AMI-related issues, and it costs them more money, even though their stay is usually a bit shorter. The fact that their odds of dying as a result are lower is just one small consolation.

Have you or a loved one been treated for an AMI-related heart condition? Do you have celiac disease? Share your thoughts below.

Read more in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Volume 75, Issue 11 Supplement 2, March 2020

Read more at Openwirenews.com

Celiac.com 05/14/2019 - A strict gluten-free diet is the only proven treatment for celiac disease, yet researchers still don't know what effect, if any, the diet might have on risk factors for cardiovascular disease. 

A team of researchers recently set out to determine whether following a gluten-free diet influences risk factors for cardiovascular disease among newly diagnosed pediatric celiac disease subjects. Their results suggest that a gluten-free diet does not increase cardiovascular disease risk, at least in the short-term.

The research team included E Zifman, O Waisbourd-Zinman, L Marderfeld, N Zevit, A Guz-Mark, A Silbermintz, A Assa, Y Mozer-Glassberg, N Biran, D Reznik, I Poraz, and R Shamir. They are variously affiliated with the Institute of Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Diseases, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach-Tikva; Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic, Pediatric Division, Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; and the Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach-Tikva.

For their study, the team prospectively enrolled pediatric patients receiving upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for suspected celiac disease.  Team members recorded physical and lab data related to cardiovascular disease risk, both at celiac diagnosis and after 1 year following a gluten-free diet, and assessed any variation in risk fo cardiovascular disease. The team used both paired tests or Wilcoxon nonparametric tests, as needed.

In this study, children with celiac disease showed no increase in cardiovascular disease risk factors after one year on a strict gluten-free diet. The results did show a small increase in median fasting insulin levels, but no increase in insulin resistance as measured by homeostatic model assessment. During the same period, rates of dyslipidemia remained steady, while median high-density lipoprotein levels increased. The long-term implications of these small changes is not clear.

So, at least in the short run, it looks like a gluten-free diet doesn't increase risk for cardiovascular disease in children with celiac disease. Further study is needed to determine if that's true long-term.

Read more at the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition; 2019 May;68(5):684-688.

Celiac.com 12/12/2017 - Does a gluten-free diet have any effect on cardiovascular risk in people with celiac disease? Does it effect people without celiac disease? So far, both questions have remained unanswered.

Recently, a team of researchers set out to conduct a systematic review to shed some light on the matter. The team was led by Michael D.E. Potter, MBBS (Hons), from the University of New Castle, Australia.

The team focused their review on the "potential of the gluten-free diet to affect modifiable cardiovascular risk factors including weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugars," and to do this they searched for "studies which measured these risk factors in individuals before and after the institution of a gluten-free diet." In all, Potter and colleagues reviewed 27 studies that evaluated the effect of a gluten-free diet, as followed for a minimum of 6 months, on cardiovascular risk factors such as BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glycemia, hemoglobin A1c and serum lipids.

Despite their efforts, they found no clear evidence that a gluten-free diet increases cardiovascular risk in celiac patients. They found no evidence that it increases heart disease risk in people without celiac disease. They really found nothing much at all.

While the results varied across studies, and researchers did see changes in some cardiovascular risk factors, they say the data do not support a gluten-free diet for cardiovascular health in individuals without celiac disease. True, perhaps.

But it's also true that the data neither support nor condemn a gluten-free diet in people without celiac disease.

Unless and until researchers get some solid data from large groups and can make accurate, informative comparisons between those groups, it seems foolish for them to advocate or discourage a gluten-free diet in people without celiac disease.

Source: Healio.com

Celiac.com 10/05/2017 - Recent data show that more adults with celiac disease may face a higher risk for cardiovascular disease compared with the general population.

A team of researchers recently set out to investigate the association of with cardiovascular disease risk factors at late adolescence in a cross-sectional population-based study.

The research team included Assa A, Frenkel-Nir Y, Tzur D, Katz LH, and Shamir R. They are variously affiliated with the Institute of Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Disease, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Petah-Tikva; the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, and with the Medical Corps of the Israeli Defense Force.

The study group included 2,001,353 Jewish Israeli adolescents who underwent general health examinations from 1988 to 2015. The average participant age was 17.1 years of age.

Additional participant information included demographic measures, blood pressure, resting heart rate, and risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease.

The team identified a total of 10,566 cases of celiac disease. They conducted multivariate analysis that showed average diastolic blood pressure to be significantly lower in celiac patients; 72.0±8.7 in celiac men vs 70.4 ±â€Š8.5 in non-celiac men; and 70.0 ±â€Š8.3 in celiac women vs 69.0 ±â€Š8.2 in non-celiac women.

There were no differences in systolic blood pressure, while resting heart rate was slightly higher in celiac patients, with an absolute difference of 0.4 beats per minute. The team saw no increase in blood pressure, or in rates of overweight and obesity among celiac patients.

Patients with celiac disease far more likely to have non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hypercoagulability, and hyperlipidemia, than were non-celiacs.

By age 17, people with celiac disease have a higher prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease compared with the general population. There is, however, neither increase in blood pressure nor increase in overweight and obesity rates.

Source:

• J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2017 Aug;65(2):190-194. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000001487.

Celiac.com 05/08/2017 - Do non-celiacs who eat a gluten-free diet face a greater risk of developing coronary heart disease?

To shed some light on this question, a team of researchers recently set out to assess levels of long-term term gluten consumption in connection with the development of coronary heart disease. The research team included Benjamin Lebwohl, Yin Cao, instructor, Geng Zong, Frank B Hu, Peter H R Green, Alfred I Neugut, Eric B Rimm, Laura Sampson, Lauren W Dougherty, Edward Giovannucci, Walter C Willett, Qi Sun, and Andrew T Chan.

They are variously affiliated with the Celiac Disease Center, Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA; the Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; and the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

For their prospective cohort study, the team looked at 64,714 women in the Nurses’ Health Study and 45,303 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. None of the subjects had any history of coronary heart disease, and all completed a 131 item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire in 1986 that was updated every four years through 2010.

The researchers estimated gluten consumption based on the results of the food frequency questionnaires. Their study looked for patients who developed coronary heart disease, specifically fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction. The team’s study data covered 26 years of follow-up, totaling 2,273,931 person years, 2431 women and 4098 men developed coronary heart disease.

Participants in the lowest fifth of gluten intake had 352 incidences of coronary heart disease per 100,000 person years, while those in the highest fifth had a rate of 277 events per 100,000 person years. This equates to 75 fewer cases of coronary heart disease per 100,000 person years.

After adjusting for known risk factors, the researchers noted that patients in the highest fifth of estimated gluten intake had a multivariable hazard ratio for coronary heart disease of 0.95 (95% confidence interval 0.88 to 1.02; P for trend=0.29).

After further adjusting for intake of whole grains, and leaving the remaining variance of gluten corresponding to refined grains, the multivariate hazard ratio was 1.00 (0.92 to 1.09; P for trend=0.77).

In contrast, after additional adjustment for intake of refined grains (leaving the variance of gluten intake correlating with whole grain intake), estimated gluten consumption was associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (multivariate hazard ratio 0.85, 0.77 to 0.93; P for trend=0.002).

Long term dietary intake of gluten was not associated with risk of coronary heart disease. However, the researchers do stress the importance of dietary whole grains, and that their absence may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Because of this, the team discourages people without celiac disease, or some other medical reason, from adopting a gluten-free diet.

Source:

• BMJ 2017;357:j1892 (Published 02 May 2017)

Celiac.com 09/07/2016 - Sometimes individual medical cases that initially puzzle doctors can yield new revelations for doctors and patients, and sometimes point to new directions for inquiry. The case of a young woman whose serious heart problems led doctors to discover a that she suffered from celiac disease is just the latest example.

The research team included Mariam Ghozzi, Chaima Mrizak, Taha Hasnaoui, Sonia Ernez, Maha Kacem, Asma Ommezzine, Laarbi Chaieb, Gouider Jridi, and Ibtissem Ghedira. They are variously affiliated with the Department of Cardiology, the Department of Endocrinology, and the Department of Immunology at Farhat Hached University Hospital in Sousse, Tunisia, with the Department of Biochemistry at Sahloul University Hospital in Sousse, Tunisia, and with the Research Unit (03/UR/07-02) of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Monastir University in Tunisia.

The 18-year-old girl was admitted for tachycardia and dyspnea of effort stage II of NYHA. Her medical history revealed a stroke four months prior, along with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes since the age of 10 years.

Physical examination showed a short stature, pallor, muscular atrophy and delayed puberty, but no diabetic neuropathy. By interviewing the patient, doctors found that she had shown signs of celiac disease since early infancy, and secondary amenorrhea for two years. Ophtalmological examination showed no diabetic retinopathy. Echocardiography showed the presence of a big thrombus, hypokinesis and dilated cardiomyopathy with a low rate of left ventricular ejection fraction at 20%.

Laboratory tests revealed a high level of B-type natriuretic peptide, anemia, vitamin D deficiency, hypocholesterolemia and low level of high density lipoprotein (HDL). Microalbuminuria was negative. All serological markers of celiac disease were highly positive.

The patient was put on gluten-free diet and she received a re-synchronization cardiac therapy. We emphasize that celiac disease and type 1 diabetes must be kept in mind in etiological diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Source:

• Open Original Shared Link

Celiac.com 03/14/2016 - Compared with the general population, people with celiac disease are almost twice as likely to have coronary artery disease (CAD), and 1.4 times as likely to suffer a stroke, according to a large retrospective study presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions.

The data indicate that people with celiac disease might be at higher risk of CAD, even if they do not have standard cardiovascular risk factors, said co-investigator Dr Rama Dilip Gajulapalli of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

His team is calling on primary-care physicians, gastroenterologists, and other healthcare practitioners to be "mindful of their celiac patients," and to "be on the watch for probable cardiac diseases."

Higher risk levels were seen even in patients under 65 years old, and may be due to the gut inflammation that can damage the small intestine in people with celiac disease. According to Dr Gajulapalli, "low-grade inflammation in the gut…can spill immune mediators into the bloodstream, which can then accelerate the process of atherosclerosis and, in turn, CAD."

These findings are important for people with celiac disease, and for the doctors treating them. They support the idea that chronic inflammation of any kind can have a negative impact on heart health. For people with celiac disease, this can lead to higher rates of CAD, among other complications.

So, the takeaway here is for people with celiac disease to check in with their doctors, and to be aware of any potential problems.

Source:

• Open Original Shared Link

Celiac.com 03/13/2015 - People who suffer from celiac disease with persistent villous atrophy do not face any higher risk of ischemic heart disease or atrial fibrillation, according to a recent study by a research team in Sweden.

This is important, because patients with celiac disease do face an increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes, so it is mildly encouraging that persistent villous atrophy resulting from gluten exposure does not appear to affect overall or cardiovascular mortality.

The research team, led by Dr. Jonas F. Ludvigsson from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, studied 7,440 celiac disease patients, 43% with persistent villous atrophy, who had follow-up biopsies, along with up to five controls each, matched for age, gender, county, and calendar year.

Overall risk of ischemic heart disease was not significantly higher in the patients with celiac disease. After adjusting for age at follow-up biopsy, gender, duration of celiac disease, and other factors, they found no significant difference in the risk of ischemic heart disease risk between patients with villous atrophy and those with mucosal healing.

Similarly, patients with villous atrophy had no higher risk of atrial fibrillation than those with mucosal healing.

Factors associated with ischemic heart disease risk included being male, older, and having lower educational levels. Factors associated with atrial fibrillation risk included being male and being older.

Source:

• Open Original Shared Link

Celiac.com 02/16/2015 - Celiac is predominantly a disease of the small intestine characterized by chronic malabsorption in genetically susceptible individuals who ingest grains containing. gluten, such as wheat, barley, and rye.

Using strain and strain rate echocardiography imaging, a research team set out to assess left ventricular function in patients with celiac disease.

The research team included S. Cenk, D.B. Aylin, A. Fatma Ebru, A.B. Nihal, Ö.S. Sevil, B. Serdal, B. Emine, A. Hüseyin, K. Telat, D. Tahir, E. Osman, and B. Engin. For their study, the team included twenty celiac patients and twenty healthy control subjects. They assessed left ventricle systolic and diastolic functions using standard 2-dimension, M-mode, conventional Doppler echocardiography. They obtained strain and strain rate parameters for 8 segments of the left ventricle.

They found no significant differences between patients and controls regarding left ventricle function as assessed by 2-dimensional, M-mode, conventional Doppler.

Initially, differences between strain rate values did not reach statistical significance, but when strain and average strain values were considered together, statistically significant differences emerged between the groups. For the first time a research team has been able to determine the subclinical effect of celiac disease on left ventricular systolic function by using strain echocardiography imaging.

Their success shows the potential value of assessing cardiac involvement in celiac patients using these echocardiographic techniques.

Source:

• Open Original Shared Link