Celiac Disease Foundation landmarks to light up in blue for #ShineALightOnCeliac campaign
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In honor of International Celiac Awareness Day, landmarks in the U.S. and around the globe will once again light up on May 16 to promote the #ShineALightOnCeliac social media campaign to encourge awareness and additional research.
This year, the Celiac Disease Foundation has aligned itself with the initiative and will light up its various landmarks in blue, joining organizations already part of the campaign including Coeliac Australia, Canadian Celiac Association, Coeliaque Québec, Coeliac UK, and Movimento Celíacos do Brasil.
From bridges to stadiums, city halls to skyscrapers, iconic structures worldwide have been enlisted to spread awareness for this widespread autoimmune disease that still lacks dedicated medications or a cure. To see what famous landmarks have signed to light up in blue, and if your city will be a part of it, check out the current list.
In recognition of Celiac Awareness Month, Healio recaps the latest news and research concerning celiac disease, including recommendations for physicians, diagnosis updates, and how the disease may impact women’s health.
GI dietitians critical to celiac disease, gluten-sensitivity management
At some clinics in Sweden, the dietitian — not the doctor — is the focal point of care for celiac disease.During a conversation Jessica Lebovits, RD, CDN, clinical dietitian at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, had at the International Celiac Disease Symposium, doctors expressed support for this system, given that the dietitian is the one best-versed in the patients’ treatment of celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders. Read more.
Higher overall rates of women’s health disorders reported among those with celiac disease
Women with celiac disease had statistically higher odds of experiencing ovarian dysfunction, irregular menstruation, infertility and other women’s health disorders, according to a presenter at the 2023 American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting.
“Celiac is more prevalent in women, and presentations are shifting away from classical malabsorption towards nonclassical and extraintestinal manifestations,” Rama Nanah, MD, a clinical hospitalist at Cleveland Clinic, told Healio. “One area of these extraintestinal symptoms is women’s health disorders. Prior research reported delayed menarche and early menopause in women with celiac disease, but the information remains limited, particularly in North America.” Read more.
VIDEO: Celiac disease increases risk for pregnancy, delivery complications in women
In a Healio video exclusive, Claire Jansson-Knodell, MD, shares data that show pregnant women with celiac disease are at greater risk for placental diseases, obstetric complications and having babies small for gestational age.
“We wanted to explore pregnancy outcomes using a large database study,” Jansson-Knodell, from the department of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Cleveland Clinic, said. “We looked at maternal, obstetrical and neonatal outcomes in moms with celiac disease.” Read more.
Dating with celiac disease involves struggles with dining out, communicating needs
Patients with celiac disease reported various challenges when dating, notably communicating their needs and managing feelings of sadness, anxiety and embarrassment, according to data at Digestive Disease Week.
“We already know that that the only treatment for celiac disease is lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet and many studies have shown the negative impact the diet, especially dining out, has on quality of life,” Jessica Lebovits, RD, CDN, a clinical dietitian at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, told Healio. “But there was a gap in the research when it came to dating with celiac disease.” Read more.
Serum testing may simplify diagnostic criteria, avoid biopsy in suspected celiac disease
High levels of serum anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA predicted duodenal villous atrophy and could be a reliable measure to avoid biopsy in the diagnosis of adult patients with suspected celiac disease, according to researchers.
“Celiac disease is increasing in prevalence and incidence around the world,” Carolina Ciacci, MD, of the Center for Celiac Disease at the University of Salerno in Italy, told Healio. “The traditional diagnosis of celiac disease is based on specific serology plus intestinal biopsy. Accuracy of gluten-specific serology is very high in predicting celiac disease diagnosis, while histology requires upper endoscopy and remains operator-dependent.” Read more.
Zonulin increase may signal celiac diagnosis in children
Zonulin levels rise significantly in children in the months preceding a diagnosis of celiac disease autoimmunity, suggesting it could be used as a biomarker to screen at-risk children for celiac disease, researchers reported in Pediatrics.
For over a decade, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have investigated how to predict and prevent autoimmune disease, using celiac disease as a model. A birth cohort study called Celiac Disease, Genomic, Environmental, Microbiome and Metabolomic Study assisted in these investigations. Read more.
References:
- A united celiac disease awareness campaign. https://shinealightonceliac.org/. Accessed May 1, 2024.
- Shine A Light on Celiac Disease in Your City. https://celiac.org/shinealightonceliac/. Accessed May 1, 2024.
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