Understanding the Connection Between Celiac Disease and Childhood Infections
Vaccines and celiac disease
It is relevant to ask questions about vaccination in early years to fully comprehend the complicated relationship between infectious agents and celiac disease. Especially in times when we have seen lots of disinformation and the rise in anti-vaccination voices. In one large-scale study of data on Swedish national vaccination program, no link was demonstrated between the vaccination for various diseases and celiac disease prevalence. Long-term data or changes in the vaccination program showed no relationship to celiac disease. It could be confidently stated that early vaccination was not a risk factor for celiac disease.
So as the mystery unfolds, we are learning more about the various environmental factors that are related to the rise in prevalence of celiac disease, though we still have a long way to go.
References
1. Sarno M, Discepolo V, Troncone R, Auricchio R. Risk factors for celiac disease. Ital J Pediatr [Internet]. 2015 Aug 14 [cited 2017 Oct 29];41. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4535670/
2. Lebwohl B, Ludvigsson JF, Green PHR. The Unfolding Story of Celiac Disease Risk Factors. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014 Apr 1;12(4):632–5.
3. SciLog. Viruses as risk factors for coeliac disease [Internet]. scilog. 2016 [cited 2017 Oct 29]. Available from: https://scilog.fwf.ac.at/en/biology-and-medicine/4353/viruses-as-risk-factors-for-coeliac-disease
4. Plot L, Amital H. Infectious associations of Celiac disease. Autoimmun Rev. 2009 Feb;8(4):316–9.
5. MacDonald F. Evidence Emerges That Celiac Disease Could Be Triggered by a Seemingly Harmless Virus [Internet]. ScienceAlert. 2017 [cited 2017 Oct 29]. Available from: https://www.sciencealert.com/evidence-emerges-that-a-viral-infection-could-be-behind-celiac-disease
6. Bouziat R, Hinterleitner R, Brown JJ, Stencel-Baerenwald JE, Ikizler M, Mayassi T, et al. Reovirus infection triggers inflammatory responses to dietary antigens and development of celiac disease. Science. 2017 Apr 7;356(6333):44–50.
7. Auricchio R, Cielo D, Falco R de, Galatola M, Bruno V, Malamisura B, et al. Respiratory Infections and the Risk of Celiac Disease. Pediatrics. 2017 Sep 6;e20164102.
8. Mårild K, Ye W, Lebwohl B, Green PH, Blaser MJ, Card T, et al. Antibiotic exposure and the development of coeliac disease: a nationwide case–control study. BMC Gastroenterol. 2013 Jul 8;13:109.