Celiac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that affects how your body uses blood sugar, called glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy for the brain and for the cells that make up muscle and tissue of the body. Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune condition that is usually diagnosed in children, teenagers and young adults. In T1D, the body does not make insulin, which is the hormone needed to get glucose from the bloodstream into cells. Only about 5% of people with diabetes have type 1, and although there is no cure, proper treatment can make this condition manageable.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of diabetes include:
- Peeing more often
- Feeling very thirsty, hungry and tired
- Blurred vision
- Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal
- Weight loss
- Tingling, pain or numbness in the hands and feet.
What is the Connection between Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease?
- Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease are both autoimmune conditions and share a similar genetic profile, resulting in a significant amount of overlap in patients.
- Around 3–8 % of people with type 1 diabetes will have biopsy-confirmed celiac disease, so people with this condition would benefit from regular celiac disease testing.
- Celiac disease associated with type 1 diabetes is usually asymptomatic (showing no symptoms) and may only be found with regular testing.
- Celiac disease and type 1 diabetes have many of the same signs and symptoms, such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating, malabsorption, weight loss, and abnormal liver function tests. This can cause celiac disease to be overlooked.
- Untreated celiac disease may contribute to irregular blood glucose levels.
- Unexplained hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can be a sign of malabsorption related to celiac disease and should be investigated, particularly in small children.
There is no increased risk for patients with type 2 diabetes (formerly known as adult onset diabetes) and celiac disease.
Free Resources from Breakthrough T1D
Our partners at Breakthrough T1D, a nonprofit dedicated to making every day with type 1 diabetes better and T1D a thing of the past, has kindly made these resources free and available in both English and Spanish.
English
Español (Spanish)
Where Can I Learn More?
- Breakthrough T1D
- Mayo Clinic
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- National Library of Medicine
- Diabetes Research Institute Foundation (DRIF)
- T1D Exchange
Do you or a family member suffer from type 1 diabetes? You may have celiac disease. Find out now. Take our Celiac Disease Symptoms Checklist.
