A small study in Spain shows that patients who suffer from fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome may also have celiac disease.
Researchers studied 104 patients with both fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome and 125 with just irritable bowel in a gastroenterology clinic in Spain. They conducted hematological and biochemistry tests as well as gastric and duodenal biopsies and serological and genetic markers for celiac disease.
They found that patients with both conditions had a lower quality of life and that almost 30 percent of them had a family history of celiac disease. Meanwhile, seven percent of the study participants tested positive for celiac disease.
Researchers believe that celiac disease can exacerbate the symptoms of patients who have both fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome. Doctors recommended a strict gluten-free diet for those with celiac and in follow-up tests, their digestive and systemic symptoms improved.
Pamela Hasterok
Source: Healio.com