People with coeliac disease may be more susceptible to osteoporosis because their own immune system attacks their bone tissue, a study suggests.
Osteoporosis is a known risk of coeliac disease and has been explained by a failure to absorb calcium or vitamin D.
But a study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests coeliac patients produce antibodies which attack a key protein that maintains bone health.
They could easily be treated with drugs to prevent bone loss, researchers say.
It also explains why osteoporosis in those with the digestive disorder may not respond to calcium and vitamin D.
Coeliac disease is caused by a reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, which damage the small finger-like villi that line the small intestine and play a key role in digestion.
When damaged and inflamed, the villi are unable to absorb food properly, causing diarrhoea and malnutrition.
It affects one in 100 people, and of these a significant proportion may go on to develop osteoporosis - a disease of bone that leads to an increased risk of painful and disabling fractures. Read more...
.jpg)
1 comments:
I sure hope they find something for this.
Post a Comment