Children with IBS at Increased Risk for Celiac Disease

Statistics show that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects about 10 to 15 percent of Americans.

For adolescents affected with IBS, a recent study indicates that they may also be at a higher risk for celiac disease.

"If you have a child with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, he or she has a four times higher risk of celiac disease as compared to the general population," said lead researcher Dr. Ruggiero Francavilla, with the interdisciplinary department of medicine, in the pediatric section of the Giovanni XXIII Hospital at the University of Bari, via Health Day.

According to researchers from the University of Bari, Italy, they assessed 782 children diagnosed with abdominal pain-related disorders. Two-hundred and seventy had IBS; 201 had indigestion; and 311 had functional abdominal pain.

Blood samples from the patients revealed that 15 of the participants--or 1.53 percent of the population--tested positive for celiac disease. Thus, the study authors concluded that having IBS could increase the risk of this disorder that can damage the small intestine if gluten is consumed.

"Celiac screening should be addressed only in irritable bowel syndrome children rather than all the population with abdominal pain, since in those with abdominal pain not related to irritable bowel syndrome, the risk of having celiac disease is identical to the general pediatric population," Francavilla said, via WebMD.

However, Dr. Mitchell Cohen, co-author of an accompanying journal editorial, noted "We can help diagnose and treat children with celiac disease by screening children with irritable bowel syndrome. However, if the approach is not selective, many children will have false-positive test results that will cause more endoscopy and false worry."

Statistics show that one in every 133 people in the United States suffer from celiac disease.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal JAMA Pediatrics.