How can celiac disease kill you

The researchers noted that this increased death risk may be due to reduced absorption of important nutrients, such as Vitamin A and Vitamin E.

Still, when evaluating the results of this particular study, keep in mind that these people were much sicker than most people are at the time of diagnosis. Interestingly, the study also found that babies and toddlers hospitalized with celiac disease before age 2 had a reduced death risk, possibly indicating a beneficial effect of starting the gluten-free diet very early.

Not all studies contain bad news. In fact, two contain hints that following a very strict gluten-free diet could significantly reduce your risk of early death. For example, one study found a lower-than-expected death rate in Finnish patients who had been diagnosed with dermatitis herpetiformis , a gluten-induced skin rash closely associated with celiac disease.

In the study, most of those diagnosed with dermatitis herpetiformis also had villous atrophy which means they had celiac disease in addition to their dermatitis herpetiformis. There was one major difference in this study population when compared with other research: Some The study didn't conclude that a strict gluten-free diet lowers death rates in people with celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis—it wasn't set up to answer that question. However, the authors speculated that a stricter diet may have played a role and noted that the group's Another study—this one from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine—may indirectly back up the earlier hypothesis.

The Mayo research looked at adults with the biopsy-proven celiac disease and found that those who were extremely careless or who cheated on their gluten-free diets had ongoing intestinal damage. Cheating on the diet wasn't the only factor involved in ongoing damage and a higher death rate. Severe diarrhea and weight loss coupled with more severe intestinal damage at the time of diagnosis also appeared to play a role. In addition, the association between confirmed intestinal recovery and a reduced rate of death was only a weak one, the study reported.

Nonetheless, the researchers noted that ingestion of trace gluten—either through intentional cheating on the diet or gluten cross-contamination in supposedly "gluten-free" foods—could be to blame for ongoing intestinal damage in some people.

Unfortunately, we can't conclude too much from these studies—there's a lot more research to be done before we can have firm answers on celiacs' death risks and how to improve the odds. The studies do show a higher rate of early death among people with celiac disease, especially among those who were particularly sick at the time of diagnosis. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, autoimmune diseases, and infections such as pneumonia accounted for many of those early deaths. They can even lead to death by one of the following:.

People with untreated celiac disease are at risk of developing any number of associated conditions, including gastrointestinal cancer at rates of 40 to times those of the general population. EATL is a gut cancer that often ends in death. People with celiac disease also need to watch out for non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Patients with an autoimmune disease faced a nearly four-fold higher risk for epilepsy. SUDEP are still poorly understood, it is possibly the most common cause of death as a result of complications from epilepsy, accounting for between 7. People with celiac disease have higher rates of diabetes than people without celiac disease. Moreover, long-term celiac disease increases death rates in people with diabetes. There is also some evidence that a gluten-free diet can lower rates of Type 1 diabetes.

In the end, for people with T1D, having a celiac disease diagnosis for at least 15 years was associated with a 2. Of course, long term obesity can increase the likelihood of fatality in numerous categories. People treating celiac disease with a gluten-free diet are more likely to have a healthier weight.

So, while celiac disease won't kill anyone in the short term, it can have devastating consequences if it remains untreated for a long period of time. Share your thoughts on these ways to die from untreated celiac disease, or add additional insights in the comments section. Posted August 13, It would be nice to include some positive info instead of scaring everyone with photos of caskets. I am all for being informed but this makes it sound as if it's a death sentence.

Please provide info on what you can do to prevent and reduce your chances of these diseases instead of making it sound like we are all doomed.

The caskets were a horrible visual. I am going to continue liking this page but if this happens again, I am going to get my information from an honest, but more uplifting source. Posted August 15, The article is titled "Six Ways Celiac Disease Can Kill You," thus you probably should not have clicked on it if you wanted an uplifting article.

Posted August 16, The first paragraph makes clear that "most people will not actually die from the immediate symptoms of celiac disease; no matter how bad those symptoms get. Untreated celiac disease can lead to potentially fatal complications down the road. Sorry if that was a bit much for your sensitivity setting.

Posted August 18, You always have such good information! I have both the DQ2 and the DQ8 gene markers. My mother has finally gone gluten free, and I always wondered where the other one on my dad's side of the family came from. This information points straight to my paternal grandmother. Another point, I know most people at diagnosis are overweight, but I was not. I was dangerously close to death from being malnourished due to my undiagnosed celiac.

There are a lot of people that die from "failure to thrive" due to undiagnosed celiac. I think this was an excellent article. It clearly states how important it is to follow a gluten free diet. I for one would love to not follow a gluten-free diet and this reminds me how crucial it is. There I am in the ER having a heart attack, the head of cardiology is introducing himself to me before I head off to the Cath Lab for 3 stints.

He asks do you have any other medical conditions. I share that I'm self diagnosed celiac, he responds"oh yeah, I remember that from medical school Other items to watch out for include anything made with malt vinegar and powdered drinks such as instant coffee. Even medication can contain gluten. Corn, potatoes and unprocessed rice, for example, are all gluten-free.

The danger in these starches instead lies in flavorings and cross-contamination from equipment that comes into contact with glutenous foods. Unexplainable ailments in non-celiacs can often be solved by cutting out gluten. In addition to triggering migraines , gluten can exacerbate conditions like psoriasis and arthritis in people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Genetics do play a role in coeliac disease but this is not confined to one particular ethnic group. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.

By accepting you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our cookie policy. However, if you prefer, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Search the Coeliac UK site Enter what you are looking for. Shoppping Basket. My Account Log in. Join us. Myths about coeliac disease These are some of the most common myths and misunderstandings about coeliac disease.

Top tips to avoid cross contamination: keep cooking utensils separate during food preparation and cooking avoid frying food in the same oil that has previously been used to cook foods which contain gluten use a clean grill, separate toaster or toaster bags to make gluten free toast use separate breadboards and wash surfaces thoroughly use separate condiments like jam, butter, mustard and mayonnaise.

Tiny traces of gluten can cause symptoms for people with coeliac disease.