Celiac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes Share Genetic Link

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Celiac disease has hit the big times.  Doctors, grocery stores, healthy living magazines and other media outlets are talking about celiac disease like crazy.  Gluten free foods have taken over grocery store shelves like wildfire. Have you noticed the craze?

Is there substantial evidence that a gluten free diet is making a healthful impact on Americans?  If you fall in the high risk category of a celiac diagnosis, all of this attention may be a positive thing.  Bringing celiac disease front and center may garner you the diagnosis that has been overlooked or shoved aside for years.

Unfortunately, we don’t hear as much about about the sister diseases that pop up alongside celiac disease.  Celiac disease is known for its lengthy list of related autoimmune diseases and concomitant symptoms. Many patients will approach their Physicians with a symptom on this list and leave the appointment with a new treatment.  It takes a good Doc to connect the dots with your medical history, your families medical history and your symptomatology.  Many a patient will Doctor hop treating all of the random but related symptoms, only to be diagnosed with celiac disease 10 years later.

One of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases associated with celiac disease is type 1 diabetes.  Times have changed for those of us diagnosed with type 1 diabetes over a decade ago.  When there is a new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, that person is always screened for celiac disease as well.  The connection between celiac disease and type 1 diabetes is that strong.

Statistics show that 1:10 people with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease.  If you are not sure if you or your child has been tested, request it at your next appointment. Here’s the tricky thing- celiac disease can also rear its ugly head at any given time in your life.  Because your blood work was negative 5 years ago doesn’t mean it is today, you’re not off the hook.  Testing must be continued to look for it over the years, especially if you have type 1 diabetes.

See She Sugar’s article Blood Tests to Diagnose Celiac Disease

John Todd of the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research in the UK has found “considerable overlap, and much more than we anticipated” he said. “Almost every celiac disease susceptibility gene had an effect in type 1 diabetes.” The crossover between both of these diseases is quite amazing.  This research has unearthed seven regions on the same chromosome that celiac disease and type 1 diabetes hold in common.  JDRF was a co-sponsor of this important and ground breaking research.

Celiac Disease as a single diagnosis presents a plethora of difficulties for the diagnosed patient.  When you add type 1 diabetes to the mix, the issues can multiply quickly.  Celiac disease is an inflammatory disease.  What does inflammation do to blood sugars you may wonder?  It raises blood sugars and also your insulin needs.

Celiac disease can cause diarrhea, constipation and irritable bowel.  Any factor that makes an impact on your digestive tract has the potential to make a significant strike on your blood sugars and ultimately the day to day control you have with type 1 diabetes.  This is only the tip of the iceberg.  The tumultuous relationship that both diseases can have with one another is complicated and lengthy.  Celiac disease and type 1 diabetes diagnoses are vital in the control and well being of both diseases.