Monday, December 15, 2008

Celiac Disease and Diabetes

There has been a lot of news over the last few days about the genetic link between Celiac Disease and Diabetes. Recent studies in the UK have shown the the genetic traits for CD and Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes overlap to a much greater extent the previously thought.

Both CD and Diabetes are autoimmune disorders which require both the genetic makeup and an "environmental factor" which makes the genes active. The research suggests that active Celiac can be an environmental trigger for Diabetes.

Diabetes occurs when your pancreas stops producing insulin which is a hormone that allows your body's cells to take in glucose from food for energy.

Check out the symptoms for Type 1 Diabetes here.

Check out some of the articles about this from other sources below.
Celiac-Disease.com
Celiac.com
Medicinenet.com
MedicalNewsToday.com
TheSavvyCeliac.com

1 comments:

Bob K4RLC said...

Thyroid disease is the most often comorbid condition with CD, given their genetic overlay. Adults with CD need to have their Thyroid monitored, which can be easily done with every annual physical, as another lab/blood test. Celiac is now the most often studied autoimmune disease, as it is the only one that we know the mechanism of action for - the body incorrectly perceiving gliadin as an invader. This will result in CD receiving more research funding, as it can be a gateway to understanding other autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis.

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