Celiac Disease and Renal Disease

In August, the journal Gut published research done by researchers at the Karolinska Institute at the Univ. of Stockholm in Sweden. The research examined the risk of Celiacs for developing End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). It was an epidemiological or population study. This is often the first type of study done by scientists to determine areas for further study. 

The healthcare system records Scandanavian countries are a goldmine of data for researchers. These countries have had socialized medicine for many years have kept accurate centralized data. The researchers examined records for 29,050 individuals with Celiac to determine the percent that developed renal disease.  The researchers took into account those with Diabetes who are prone to renal failure as well as those with known kidney disease independent of Celiac.  They noticed a slight increase in the occurence of renal disease in about 3% of those with Celiac.  It is important to understand that this is a preliminary study.  It is not intended to establish cause and effect. Population studies only indicatate an association.  What does that mean? You might well notice that every time there is a fire in your neighborhood you hear sirens. That does not mean that the sirens cause the fire. The sirens are only associated with the fire. It would take additional research to determine the cause of the fires.  The same is true of this study.  It indicates that there may be an association between Celiac and renal disease. However, the issue needs further research.

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