A Canadian research team has conducted the first global study of the link between COVID-19 and celiac disease, and revealed those with celiac disease are not at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
The Canadian Celiac Association partnered with Ontario's McMaster University to determine whether people with celiac disease are more vulnerable to the virus.
“Early in the pandemic, every patient in our clinic was asking if their risk of contracting COVID-19 was increased due to their celiac disease," says Dr. Maria Pinto Sanchez, lead author of the study.
"Initially, with the help of student Jamie Zhen, we developed a survey intended to be used just in our clinic, but we saw the potential to bring/take it to a wider audience when my international colleagues expressed interest. After getting the approval of the McMaster ethics board, we brought it to the CCA to help us get the word out to celiacs across Canada."
The research started in Canada, but expanded to involve 18,000 individuals across the world who self-reported living with celiac disease.
Ten countries participated in the survey from March to June 2020, including Canada, Argentina, United States, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Italy, Spain, New Zealand and Australia.
“Despite numerous previous studies that have suggested celiac disease is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infections, the research revealed patients with celiac disease were no more at risk of contracting COVID-19 than non-celiacs,” says Sanchez.
“What this means is celiacs need only take the same precautions as the general public: wearing of masks in public, physical distancing of at least 2 metres and adopt a thorough hand-washing protocol.”
The results were published in the journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
