Smoking benefits celiac sprue and pouchitis: implications for nicotine therapy?

Coeliac disease and invasive pneumococcal disease: a population-based cohort study

Severe infections are recognized complications of coeliac disease (CD). In the present study we aimed to examine whether individuals with CD are at increased risk of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). To do so, we performed a population-based cohort study including 29 012 individuals with biopsy-proven CD identified through biopsy reports from all pathology departments in Sweden. Each individual with CD was matched with up to five controls (n = 144 257). IPD events were identified through regional and national microbiological databases, including the National Surveillance System for Infectious Diseases. We used Cox regression analyses to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for diagnosed IPD. A total of 207 individuals had a record of IPD whereas 45/29 012 had CD (0·15%) and 162/144 257 were controls (0·11%). This corresponded to a 46% increased risk for IPD [HR 1·46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·05–2·03]. The risk estimate was similar after adjustment for socioeconomic status, educational level and comorbidities, but then failed to attain statistical significance (adjusted HR 1·40, 95% CI 0·99–1·97). Nonetheless, our study shows a trend towards an increased risk for IPD in CD patients. The findings support results seen in earlier research and taking that into consideration individuals with CD may be considered for pneumococcal vaccination.

Smoking, use of moist snuff and risk of celiac disease: a prospective study

Background

Smoking status has been linked to several chronic inflammatory conditions but earlier research on smoking and celiac disease (CD) is contradictive. There are little data on moist snuff use and CD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between smoking, moist snuff use and later CD.

Methods

We identified individuals with biopsy-verified CD (villous atrophy, histopathology stage Marsh III) through biopsy-reports from Sweden’s 28 pathology departments. Data on smoking and moist snuff were collected from the Swedish construction worker database “Bygghälsan” that includes preventive health care check-up data. Through poisson regression we calculated relative risks (RRs) for later CD according to smoking status (n = 305,722), and moist snuff status (n = 199,200) adjusting for age, sex and decade.

Results

During follow-up 488 individuals with smoking data, and 310 with moist snuff data had a diagnosis of CD. The risk of CD was independent of smoking status with all RRs being statistically insignificant and ranging between 0.9 and 1.0. Compared to non-smokers, neither current smokers (RR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.76-1.14) nor ex-smokers (RR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.75-1.28) were at increased or decreased risk of CD. Risk estimates were similar in moderate smokers (RR = 0.92; 0.72-1.16) and heavy smokers (RR = 0.95; 0.74-1.24), and did not change when we examined the risk more than ten years after health examination (RR-moderate: 0.90; and RR-heavy: 0.95; both p > 0.05). Moist snuff use was not associated with later CD (RR = 1.00; 0.78-1.28), or with CD after more than ten years of follow-up (RR = 1.05; 0.80-1.38).

Conclusions

We found no association between smoking, moist snuff use and future CD.

Risk of lymphoproliferative malignancy in celiac patients with a family history of lymphoproliferative malignancy

BACKGROUND

Individuals with celiac disease (CD) are at increased risk of lymphoproliferative malignancy (LPM). We examined if a family history of LPM or any cancer influenced the risk of LPM in individuals with CD.

METHODS

We identified 28,996 individuals with biopsy-verified CD (equal to villous atrophy, Marsh histopathology stage 3), of whom 616 had family history of LPM. Cox regression then estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for LPM in these 616 compared with two control groups. We also examined the risk of LPM in CD individuals with a family history of any cancer (n = 8,439).

RESULTS

During follow-up, 2/616 CD individuals with a family history of LPM, and 235/28,380 CD individuals without a family history of LPM developed LPM themselves. CD individuals with a family history of LPM were not at increased risk of LPM compared to general population controls (HR = 1.18; 95 % CI = 0.27-5.10), or compared to CD individuals without a family history of LPM (adjusted HR = 0.31; 95 % CI = 0.08-1.23). We found no increased risk of LPM in CD individuals with a family history of any cancer.

CONCLUSION

This study found no evidence that a family history of LPM or any cancer increases the risk of future LPM in individuals with CD. Despite the large number of study participants, this study is nevertheless limited by few positive events due to a low absolute risk of LPM even in individuals with CD.

Dermatitis herpetiformis. Part I. Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical presentation

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an autoimmune disease that is linked to gluten sensitivity and has a clear relationship to celiac disease. Both conditions are mediated by the IgA class of autoantibodies and the diagnosis of DH is dependent on detection of granular deposits of IgA in the skin. There is an underlying genetic predisposition to the development of DH but environmental factors are also important. Typically, young adults present with excoriations only, as the severe pruritus effectively destroys any primary lesions. Based upon our experience with DH and a comprehensive literature review, we provide an update of DH epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation.