Issue 213 Item 4 Gender, Age at Onset Predict Celiac Disease in Type 1 Diabetic

Children diagnosed with diabetes before age 4 years have a three-fold increased risk of having both diseases compared to those diagnosed after age 9 years. The prevalence of celiac disease in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes is high, according to a new study. The risk of having both diseases is higher in females than in males, the authors of a study published in the June issue of Diabetes Care found.

Dr. Franco Cerutti, of Universita di Torino, Italy, and colleagues screened children yearly for celiac disease using IgA/IgG anti-gliadin and IgA anti-endomysium antibodies.

A total of 4322 children and adolescents were identified with type 1 diabetes. Of these, 292 (6.8%) were diagnosed with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease. A higher risk of celiac disease was observed in girls than in boys (odds ratio [OR] 1.93). Diabetes was diagnosed before celiac disease in 258 (88.4%) of these subjects.

Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that younger age at diabetes onset, being female, and having a thyroid disorder were independently associated with the risk of having diabetes and celiac disease. Compared to subjects older than 9 years at diabetes onset, those younger than 4 years at onset had an OR of 3.27.

"Our finding is consistent with the hypothesis that there are common genetic or environmental factors in the etiopathogenesis of these diseases in younger children," Dr. Cerutti and colleagues write.
Diabetes Care 2004;27:1294-1298.

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