What complications can coeliac disease cause?
• Infertility in women. Recurrent miscarriage is sometimes associated with coeliac disease. • Severe anaemia in pregnancy because the bowel cannot absorb enough iron and vitamins to keep up with the demands of mother and baby. • Intrauterine growth retardation. Babies who are small for their age in the womb are more frequently born to mothers with coeliac disease. • Autoimmune diseases (thyroid disease, Type 1 diabetes and some types of liver disease such as primary biliary cirrhosis). • Thinning of the bones (osteoporosis). • A slightly increased risk of developing bowel cancer, intestinal lymphoma and cancer of the oesophagus. A gluten-free diet reduces all these complications, as well as associated conditions such as dermatitis herpetiformis and mouth ulcers. Studies have shown that sticking to a gluten-free diet for five years or more reduces the risk of all cancers associated with coeliac disease to that of the general population.
