Diabetes and Coeliac or Celiac Disease

Coeliac / Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease treated with diet alone. Type I diabetes, traditionally called Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, is an autoimmune disease treated not only with diet but also with injected insulin. An autoimmune disease involves an attack by the individual's immune system on some part of the body.

The connections between Coeliac Celiac Disease and Type I diabetes go beyond autoimmunity and diet. Both diseases have genetic and environmental origins. This means an individual is more at risk of developing either problem when a close relative also has it.

Roughly ten percent of sufferers either have Type I diabetes or might develop Type II diabetes (more later). Estimates differ, but at least five percent of those who have Type I diabetes are or will become celiac. Where the two diseases occur in one individual, in almost all cases, the diabetes is diagnosed first.