Recent Research . . .

[lbsteenwyk]

I though this article was very interesting. I am pasteing the abstract below.

JF Ludvigsson, SM Montgomery, and A Ekbom

Celiac disease and risk of adverse fetal outcome: a population-based cohort study.

Gastroenterology, August 1, 2005; 129(2): 454-63.

Background & Aims: Studies of maternal celiac disease (celiac disease) and fetal outcome are inconsistent, and low statistical power is likely to have contributed to this inconsistency. We investigated the risk of adverse outcomes in women with celiac disease diagnosed prior to pregnancy and in women who did not receive a diagnosis of celiac disease until after the delivery. Methods: A national register-based cohort study restricted to women aged 15-44 years with singleton live born infants was used. We identified 2078 offspring to women who had received a diagnosis of celiac disease (1964-2001): 1149 offspring to women diagnosed prior to birth and 929 offspring to women diagnosed after infant birth. Main outcome measures were: intrauterine growth retardation, low birth weight (<2500 g), very low birth weight (<1500 g), preterm birth (<37 gestational weeks), very preterm birth (<30 gestational weeks), and caesarean section. Results: Undiagnosed celiac disease was associated with an increased risk of intrauterine growth retardation (OR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.22-2.15), low birth weight (OR = 2.13; 95% CI: 1.66-2.75), very low birth weight (OR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.35-4.43), preterm birth (OR = 1.71; 95% CI: 1.35-2.17), and caesarean section (OR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.27-2.60). In contrast, a diagnosis of celiac disease made before the birth was not associated with these adverse fetal outcomes. Conclusions: Undiagnosed maternal celiac disease is a risk factor for unfavorable fetal outcomes, but the risks are reduced when celiac disease has been diagnosed. celiac disease diagnosed prior to pregnancy does not constitute a great a risk as undiagnosed celiac disease.

[happygirl]

Thank you for posting that abstract! Encouraging to know that if you are diagnosed, and presumably living gluten-free, that you are not at a particularly higher risk for complications.