Did you know that people who are diagnosed with celiac disease are typically found to have elevated liver enzymes? Higher liver enzyme levels don’t always mean  that one has a serious liver problem, but it does indicate the risk of developing a liver disease among those with celiac issues. To clarify, for those with celiac disease, eating gluten — a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley — triggers an immune response in their small intestine. In fact, celiac disease is associated with a higher risk of more serious liver conditions, ranging from fatty liver disease to severe liver failure. Notably, a new study highlights the prevalence of celiac disease in people with autoimmune hepatitis.

People diagnosed with one autoimmune condition — that is, when your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake — such as celiac disease are at high risk of being diagnosed with another autoimmune disease. This has been found to be the case in those with autoimmune hepatitis, who have a higher risk of getting diagnosed with celiac disease as well. In autoimmune hepatitis, your immune system attacks your liver, which may lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. Drug therapy is available to slow down the progression of liver injury. However, some who develop severe liver failure may require a liver transplant.

The cause of liver enzyme spike in people with celiac disease is still not clear, though some prominent theories include gluten consumption or genetics. In many cases, treating celiac disease such as following a gluten-free diet has helped return liver enzyme levels within the normal range.

In a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis, a team of researchers and librarians evaluated reviewed over 2,400 studies to examine the rates of celiac disease in individuals with autoimmune hepatitis.

“Previous studies investigating the prevalence of celiac disease in individuals with autoimmune hepatitis have shown highly variable results,” wrote the authors. “We, therefore, aimed to examine the prevalence of celiac disease in individuals with autoimmune hepatitis.”

The team’s main analysis focused on eight studies that included 567 patients with autoimmune hepatitis patients, of which 23 had celiac disease. According to the review, “the pooled rate of celiac disease in autoimmune hepatitis patients is 3.5%, which is more than triple the 1% celiac disease rates in most general populations.” 

With this notable prevalence of celiac disease in people with autoimmune hepatitis compared with the general population, the researchers recommend celiac disease screening for patients with autoimmune hepatitis. These patients can check with their physician to access celiac disease screenings.

To read more about this study, click here

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