Infection in childhood can increase the risk of celiac disease

A new study suggests that infection in childhood is associated with an increased risk of gluten allergy or celiac disease in life.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Journal of Epidemiology, shows that the risk of celiac disease is very high in the case of gastrointestinal infections that occur in the first years of life.

Andreas Beyerlein from Helmholtz Diabetes Research Institute Zentrum Munchen said: "It seems that the risk of increased celiac disease is associated with frequent gastrointestinal inflammation in childhood ."

In the study, the scientists analyzed data of about 295,420 children born between 2005 and 2007.

Infection from birth to an average age of 8.5 years is considered in the analysis. A total of 853 children with gluten allergies.

While the analysis showed that the risk of developing celiac disease is particularly high when gastrointestinal infections occur in the first years of life, to a lesser extent, an increased risk of disease has also been demonstrated to Early respiratory infection.