Celiac Disease and its Association with Socio-Demographic Parameters in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type-1

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of Celiac disease in patients with Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and its association
with socio-demographic parameters.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration: Medical Departments of Dr Ruth K. M. Pfau, Civil Hospital, Karachi Pakistan, from Apr to Sep 2019.

Methodology: Patients diagnosed with type-1 DM were enrolled in the study. Patients underwent blood testing for Celiac
Serology. IgA level greater than 10U/m1 was taken as positive for celiac disease. If IgA levels were low, then Anti-tTG IgG
was tested.

Results: One hundred seventy-seven patients diagnosed with type-1 diabetes mellitus were included in this study. The average age of patients was 36.39±6.81 years. There were 109(61.58%) males and 68(38.2%) females. The frequency of celiac disease in patients with type-1 DM was observed at 8.47%. The frequency of celiac disease was not statistically significant among different age groups (p=0.644), gender and disease duration (p>0.05). However, celiac disease was more frequent in patients with a family history, but it was not statistically significant (25% vs 7.7%; p=0.086).

Conclusion: This study showed a higher frequency of celiac disease in patients with T1DM than in the general population in our country, and the data lend support to recommend regular screening for Celiac disease in all patients with Type-1 DM.