A patient with celiac disease may also have an autoimmune disorder, both of which need to be managed. Other family members may also have an autoimmune disorder.
Autoimmune disorders that can occur in a patient with celiac disease include:
(1) rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
(2) juvenile rheaumatoid arthritis (JRA)
(3) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
(4) autoimmune thyroiditis with hypothyroidism
(5) insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
(6) alopecia areata
Implications:
(1) A family history of autoimmune disorders should raise suspicion for celiac disease in a patient with some of its clinical features.
(2) Diagnosis can be a challenge since additional features may be present that cannot be explained by a single entity.
(3) Both conditions need to be treated. The patient may have residual complaints if on therapy for only one of the conditions.
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