Micronutrient Deficiencies Often Found With Celiac Disease Dx

Micronutrient deficiencies remain common in adults at the time of celiac disease (CD) diagnosis, according to a study published online in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Adam C. Bledsoe, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues retrospectively evaluated the frequency of micronutrient deficiencies (tissue transglutaminase IgA, zinc, 25-hydroxy vitamin D [vitamin D], ferritin, albumin, copper, vitamin B12, and serum folate) among 309 adult patients (196 women) with newly diagnosed CD (from Jan. 1, 2000, to Oct. 31, 2014) and compared them to age- and sex-matched controls participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The researchers found that only one-quarter of patients had weight loss. Zinc deficiency was more common in CD patients (59.4 percent versus 33.2 percent of controls; P < 0.001), as were deficiencies in albumin (19.7 percent versus 1.1 percent, respectively; P < 0.001), copper (6.4 percent versus 2.1 percent; P = 0.003), vitamin B12 (5.3 percent versus 1.8 percent; P = 0.004), and folate (3.6 percent versus 0.3 percent; P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in vitamin D levels between the groups (19 percent versus 18 percent; P = 0.72). Ferritin was low in 30.8 percent of patients, but no data were available for controls.

"This study provides support for micronutrient assessment at the time of CD diagnosis," conclude the authors.

Two authors reported financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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