This immune disorder is triggered by the intake of gluten--a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It damages the small intestines and interferes in the absorption of nutrients obtained from the food.
To examine the overall risk of death in individuals with celiac disease, Jonas Ludvigsson, MD, PhD, lead researcher of the study and an associate professor of pediatrics at Orebro University Hospital, Sweden, and his colleagues used the data from biopsies conducted between July 1969 and February 2008 in Sweden.
The biopsy data was derived from more than 46,000 patients that were divided into three groups. Out of these patients, 29,096 had celiac disease, 13,306 had inflammation of the small intestine and 3,719 had latent celiac disease.
The first group with celiac disease was defined by the presence of villous atrophy--intestinal damage, the second group had a less severe form of disease with symptoms of inflammation -- which is the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as damaged cells -- and the third group had the latent form of celiac disease.
Patients with milder symptoms at a higher risk of death
The researchers compared all these groups with a control group—which was not given the medical treatment, and found that there were 3,049 deaths among patients with celiac disease, 2,967 died among those with inflammation and 183 died among the latent group.
It was established that those with inflammation had a 72 percent increased risk of death, those with celiac disease had a 39 percent increased risk of death and those with latent disease had a 35 percent increased risk of death.
The researchers concluded that the risk of death among patients with celiac disease had ‘modestly increased’.
And surprisingly, the patients with less severe symptoms of the disease were moderately at a higher risk of dying. Those who were diagnosed with the disease before the age of 20 were also subject to higher risk of death.
More attention needed for disease’s diagnosis
Experts maintain that, most of the times, people don’t get themselves diagnosed, and this results in severe destruction of the digestive system.
Peter Green of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons said, "Until recently, gluten sensitivity has received little attention in the traditional medical literature, although there is increasing evidence for its presence in patients with various neurological disorders and psychiatric problems.”
Green believes that this study would reinforce the importance of celiac disease and will ensure timely diagnosis of the patients. It is also hoped that more attention would be given to the lesser degrees of intestinal inflammation and gluten sensitivity.
The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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