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Review
. 2015 Apr;3(2):136-45.
doi: 10.1177/2050640614560786.

Psychological morbidity of celiac disease: A review of the literature

Fabiana Zingone  1 , Gillian L Swift  2 , Timothy R Card  3 , David S Sanders  4 , Jonas F Ludvigsson  5 , Julio C Bai  6
Affiliations
Review

Psychological morbidity of celiac disease: A review of the literature

Fabiana Zingone et al. United European Gastroenterol J. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Celiac disease has been linked to decreased quality of life and certain mood disorders. The effect of the gluten free diet on these psychological aspects of the disease is still unclear.

Objectives: The objective of this article is to review the literature on psychological morbidity of celiac disease.

Methods: We performed a PubMed search for the time period from 1900 until June 1, 2014, to identify papers on psychological aspects of celiac disease looking specifically at quality of life, anxiety, depression and fatigue.

Results: Anxiety, depression and fatigue are common complaints in patients with untreated celiac disease and contribute to lower quality of life. While aspects of these conditions may improve within a few months after starting a gluten-free diet, some patients continue to suffer from significant psychological morbidity. Psychological symptoms may affect the quality of life and the dietary adherence.

Conclusion: Health care professionals need to be aware of the ongoing psychological burden of celiac disease in order to support patients with this disease.

Keywords: Celiac disease; anxiety; depression; fatigue; quality of life.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Quality of life (QoL) in screen-detected and symptom-detected celiac disease (CD) patients after one year of gluten-free diet. *QoL improved in symptomatic screening-detected patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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