Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have similar presentations and both are characterized by chronic immune-mediated gastrointestinal tract inflammation. While associations between the two conditions have been documented in the literature, a new study led by Cleveland Clinic investigators is the first to suggest a bidirectional link and to reveal the impact of IBD treatment on celiac disease.
“This is the largest database study to evaluate the association between celiac disease and IBD and the impact of IBD therapy on celiac disease incidence, says Mohannad Abou Saleh, MD, a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic and co-author of the report. “It suggests that there is a strong link between celiac disease and IBD that is bidirectional, but it seems that patients with celiac disease are more likely to develop IBD than vice versa.”