International Journal of Celiac Disease, 2017, Vol. 5, No. 1, 1-9
Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/ijcd/5/1/3
©Science and Education Publishing
DOI:10.12691/ijcd-5-1-3
Extra Intestinal Manifestations of Celiac Disease and
Associated Disorders
Abbasi Najmeh, Allameh Seyed Farshad
*
Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
*Corresponding author: allamehfarshad@gmail.com
Abstract Celiac disease (CD) is one of the most common causes of chronic malabsorption in all over the world.
CD damage the small intestine epithelial layer. Reduction of absorptive surface area and digestive enzymes, cause
impairment of absorption of micronutrients such as fat-soluble vitamins, iron and vitamin B12 and folic acid.
Sensitivity to gluten is the main pathophysiologic cause of CD and it is characterized by intraepithelial
lymphocytosis, crypt hyperplasia and villous atrophy. CD has diverse clinical features includes anemia, fatigue,
weight loss, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, osteoporosis and depression. CD is commonly seen in association
with extra intestinal manifestations, such as the typical skin lesions and the neurologic symptoms. Because of the
broad spectrum of its presentations, the diagnosis may not be so obvious or easy.Having greater awareness and
lower threshold for testing for CD are necessary for diagnosis of this disease. When CD is suspected, serologic
testing is required for screening and subsequently duodenal biopsies are necessary to confirm the diagnosis. In this
review article we want to review the extra intestinal manifestations of CD and also describe the association between
CD and other disorders. It is useful for better diagnosis of CD and improvement of treatment of associated
conditions. Future studies should focus on the extra intestinal presentations and associated disorders of gluten
sensitivity as they could help better understanding the pathogenesis of gluten sensitivity. In this review article we
describe these issues: 1. CD and psychiatric disorders; 2. CD and neurologic disorders; 3. CD and cardiac
manifestation; 4. CD and liver disease; 5. CD and Endocrine disease; 6. CD and Dermatologic disease; 7. CD and
Rheumatologic disorders; 8. CD and Ophthalmologic disease; 9. CD and Reproductive problems; 10. CD and
associations with some other disease.
Keywords: celiac disease, extra intestinal manifestations
Cite This Article: Abbasi Najmeh, and Allameh Seyed Farshad, “Extra Intestinal Manifestations of Celiac
Disease and Associated Disorders.” International Journal of Celiac Disease, vol. 5, no. 1 (2017): 1-9.
doi: 10.12691/ijcd-5-1-3.
1. Introduction
Celiac disease (CD) is one of the most common causes
of chronic malabsorption in all over the world. [1] CD
damage the small intestine epithelial layer. Reduction of
absorptive surface area and digestive enzymes, cause
impairment of absorption of micronutrients such as
fat-soluble vitamins, iron and vitamin B12 and folic acid.
[2,3] Sensitivity to gluten is the main pathophysiologic
cause of CD and it is characterized by intraepithelial
lymphocytosis, crypt hyperplasia and villous atrophy.
[4,5] CD has diverse clinical features includes anemia,
fatigue, weight loss, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating,
osteoporosis and depression. [6,7]
The prevalence of CD is estimated to be approximately
1% in western countries. [8,9,10] CD is commonly seen in
association with extra intestinal manifestations, such as
the typical skin lesions and the neurologic symptoms.
[11,12] Because of the broad spectrum of its presentations,
the diagnosis may not be so obvious or easy. [13]
Having greater awareness and lower threshold for
testing for CD are necessary for diagnosis of this disease.
When CD is suspected, serologic testing is required for
screening and subsequently duodenal biopsies are
necessary to confirm the diagnosis. [14]
Anti-tissue transglutaminase and anti endomysial
Antibodies are highly sensitive and specific for diagnosis
of CD, [15,16] but histologic studies are the gold standard
for establishing the diagnosis. [17]
In this article we want to review the extra intestinal
manifestations of CD and also describe the association
between CD and other disorders. It is useful for better
diagnosis of CD and improvement of treatment of
associated conditions. Future studies should focus on the
extra intestinal presentations and associated disorders of
gluten sensitivity as they could help better understanding
the pathogenesis of gluten sensitivity.
2. CD and Psychiatric Disorders
Association of CD and schizophrenia has been
described for years. [18-25] Some studies demonstrate that
CD patients are at increased risk of schizophrenia and
there is association between them. [18,26] It has recently
showed that the immune response to gluten in schizophrenic