Celiac Disease Increases Risk of Nerve Damage
Participants with celiac disease
were found to be around 2.5 times more likely to receive a later diagnosis of
neuropathy than those without celiac disease.
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People with celiac disease may be at higher risk of neuropathy,
according to a new study published in JAMA
Neurology.
Celiac disease is a condition in
which the immune system attacks and damages the villi of the small intestine
upon the burning up of gluten - a
protein found in wheat, barley and rye. The body is unable to effectively take
up nutrients when the villi are damaged, which can lead to malnutrition.
What is Celiac Disease?- Video
Celiac disease can affect
everyone differently, meaning it can be difficult to diagnose. However,
digestive symptoms - such as diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal bloating and
pain and weight loss - are most common in children, while adults with the
condition are more likely to experience fatigue, bone or joint pain, arthritis
or other non-digestive symptoms.
It is estimated that around 1% of
the US population - the equivalent to 1 in 133 Americans - have celiac disease;
though it is thought around 83% of these individuals are undiagnosed or
misdiagnosed with other illnesses.
The association between celiac
disease and neuropathy, or nerve damage,
is not new. According to the researchers of this latest study, including Dr.
Jonas F. Ludvigsson of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, it was
first identified almost 50 years ago.
Untreated cee4liac disease has
also been linked to increased risk of nerve-related conditions, such as
multiple sclerosis (MS).
For their study, Dr. Ludvigsson
and colleagues set out to determine the absolute and relative risk of
neuropathy among a nationwide population-based sample of patients with a
confirmed diagnosis of celiac disease.
2.5-fold increased
neuropathy risk for patients with celiac disease
The study included 28,232
individuals from Sweden whose celiac disease was confirmed with small-intestine
biopsies, alongside 139,473 age- and sex-matched controls.
The researchers identified 198
(0.7%) participants with celiac disease who were later diagnosed with
neuropathy, while neuropathy was later diagnosed in 359 (0.3%) of control participants.
The team calculated that overall,
participants with celiac disease were around 2.5 times more likely to receive a
later diagnosis of neuropathy than those without celiac disease.
The absolute risk of developing
neuropathy was estimated to be 64 per 100,000 person-years among participants
with celiac disease, while the absolute risk of neuropathy was estimated at 15
per 100,000 person-years among participants free of celiac disease.
Commenting on their findings, the
researchers say:
"We found an increased risk of neuropathy in patients with celiac
disease that persists after celiac disease diagnosis. Although absolute risks
for neuropathy are low, celiac disease is a potentially treatable condition
with a young age of onset."
The team adds that the study
indicates patients with neuropathy should be screened for celiac disease.
In November 2014, Medical News
Today reported on a study suggesting that some non-gluten wheat proteins may
trigger celiac disease.
Published in the Journal of
Proteome Research, the study revealed that non-gluten proteins including
serpins and purinins triggered a greater
immune reaction among patients with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis
- a rash associated with the disease - than among those without such
conditions.
Source: medicalnewstoday.com
Source: medicalnewstoday.com
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