1 February 2023

A new study by Oxford Population Health, investigated the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with coeliac disease, compared to the general population. Cardiovascular disease is a general term for a variety of conditions associated with the heart and blood.  

The study used data from the UK Biobank, which is a data bank that stores health information for more than half a million people in the UK.  Of the 469,095 UK Biobank participants included in this study, 0.4% (2,083) had coeliac disease. 

Findings

Researchers looked at a variety of factors that normally increase someone’s risk of cardiovascular disease, such as having a high Body Mass Index (a calculation looking at your weight and height), high cholesterol, or being a frequent smoker. They found that people with coeliac disease tended to score lower in these areas compared to people without a diagnosis of coeliac disease. Despite this, in the follow-up, they found that those with coeliac disease were slightly more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.  

This means that if 1,000 people with coeliac disease were followed for one year, 9 people would develop cardiovascular disease, compared to 7.4 people without coeliac disease. There was no trend between coeliac disease and risk of stroke.  

Further Research 

It is important to note that these results are based on volunteers recruited by the UK Biobank so might not represent the entire population. However, this valuable research highlights the importance of maintaining good cardiovascular health. This is the first study in the UK that has noted any association between coeliac disease and cardiovascular disease, when taking into account known factors that increase risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, further research is needed to find out why this might be.  

What does this mean for people with coeliac disease? 

This observational study has identified an increased risk of cardiovascular disease with coeliac disease but does not identify the cause. It is likely there are many other factors that could be contributing to this higher incidence which could only be determined from further research. Research such as exploring any impact of time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and adherence to the gluten free diet.  

We recommend that our community do not become concerned and continue to adhere to a strict healthy, nutritionally balanced gluten free diet.  

Note for health care professionals 

We would urge healthcare professionals to offer patients with coeliac disease an annual review, in line with NICE guidelines, and to support them with adhering to their diet and maintaining good cardiovascular health. Additionally, we request a low threshold to testing for anyone with symptoms indicative of possible undiagnosed coeliac disease. 

What is the UK Biobank?

The UK Biobank* is a fantastic resource that stores health information for more than half a million people in the UK. Volunteers were recruited from 2006 to have their health information collected and stored over several years. It has since become the largest database of its kind and is a major contributor to global medical research. The anonymised data can be accessed by researchers around the world to better understand a wide range of conditions.