Celiac Disease Doubles COVID-19 Hospitalization Risk

Celiac.com 03/20/2023 - People with celiac disease who contract COVID-19 are twice as likely to be hospitalized as non-celiacs, according to a new U.S. study, published online in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. However, the study also found that COVID-19 vaccination decreased the risk of hospitalization by nearly 50% for both groups. 

This is the first study to show the effect of vaccination on reducing the risk of hospitalization in patients with celiac disease and COVID-19 infection. 

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Despite the increased risk of hospitalization, patients with celiac disease did not experience significant differences in intensive care unit requirement, mortality, or thrombosis compared to non-celiacs. 

The study suggests that celiac disease patients with COVID-19 are not inherently at greater risk for severe outcomes. 

The researchers compared COVID-19 incidence and outcomes between patients with and without celiac disease before and after vaccination and found similar outcomes between the two groups before vaccination. 

The study analyzed 171,763 patients diagnosed and treated for COVID-19 at the institution between March 1, 2020, and January 1, 2022, with 110 of those adults having biopsy-proven celiac disease. 

The median time from biopsy diagnosis of celiac disease to COVID-19 was 217 months, with more than 2 out of 3 patients following a gluten-free diet.

Read more at Medscape Medical News