Celiac Disease

[terryP]

Can celiac disease can cause type 1 diabetes in some people? Particularly children under the age of 12. Should diabetic children be screened regularly for this?? thanks.

[JDRF-Team-cd]

I would definitely talk to your child's pediatrician/ endocrinologist about this.  Also, there is great information on the JDRF website www.jdrf.org.  Once you get to that website go to Life with Diabetes then enter celiac disease and diabetes then search.

[JDRF Volunteer AJ]

Celiac disease also referred to as gluten sensitive enteropathy (GSE), gluten intolerance, or celiac sprue, is considered to be the most under-diagnosed common disease today, affecting 1 in every 170 to 250 people in the USA. It is a chronic, inherited disease, and if untreated can ultimately lead to malnutrition.
The incidence of Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease occurring together is about 7 - 12% in persons with either Celiac Disease or Diabetes. Interesingly enough both diseases are found in the same region on a specific HLA gene.

As far as celiac causing type 1 diabetes, I have certainly never heard this.  Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the beta-cells within the pancreas are gradually destroyed and eventually fail to produce insulin.  Although the causes are not entirely know, scientists believe the body’s own defense system attacks and destroys those insulin-producing cells.

I did contact a friend who has a child with both celiac and type 1 and she said most doctors, hers being one of them, are now recommending children with diabetes be checked for celiac…I agree with Carol you should check with your child’s doctor.
Ardy

[JDRF-Team-cd]

I received some good information on celiac disease since my response -- The celiac experts advocate for greater awareness, hence more screening for celiac disease because undiagnosed celiac causes the immune system to be in constant ‘turned on’ state, which can accelerate the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.  
At Barbara Davis Childhood Diabetes Center in Denver they have been doing celiac research for years, and understand are advocating celiac screening for all children with Type 1, and their family members.  The diagnosis part is tricky because symptoms vary so widely, and can often be mistaken for something else.  It is believed that undiagnosed celiac can make a child under 12 develop diabetes sooner than they otherwise might have.