ST. LOUIS, Wash., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Patients may develop osteoporosis because of celiac disease, a correctable intolerance to wheat flour, and should be screened Missouri researchers report.
Celiac disease can cause digestive problems bad enough to trigger osteoporosis. Scientists researching the connection found only 0.2 percent of the population had celiac disease but 4.5 percent of those with osteoporosis had it.
"Our results suggest that as many as three to four percent of patients who have osteoporosis have the bone disease as a consequence of having celiac disease, which makes them unable to absorb normal amounts of calcium and vitamin D," said principal investigator Dr. William Stenson.
The research team from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., also found dietary changes to treat celiac disease increased bone density.
"One of our conclusions is that the incidence of celiac disease in patients
with osteoporosis is high enough to justify screening for everybody with
osteoporosis," Stenson said. "The idea is that if a patient has osteoporosis as a consequence of celiac disease, the most direct way to correct their bone loss would be to put them on a gluten-free diet."
The study appears in the February 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
