Celiac disease has long been perceived as a digestive disorder. That’s because the cells that line the small intestine undergo immune system attack. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies because critical vitamins and minerals cannot be adequately absorbed through the damaged lining.
Celiac Disease and Neuropathy
A new study from Sweden shows that people definitively diagnosed with celiac disease (through a biopsy of the small intestine) are also at increased risk for nerve damage. Rates of neuropathy were about twice as high in the 28,232 people with celiac disease as those in 139,473 age and sex matched control subjects.
That said, the absolute risk for nerve damage was quite low overall, about 7 per thousand among the celiac disease patients and 3 per thousand in the general population.
Nevertheless, celiac disease patients sensitive to gluten, a protein found in barley, wheat and rye, need to avoid all foods with gluten to reduce their risk of developing a range of serious complications including nerve damage.
