Check out this new article from Reuters on how people with Type 1 diabetes also have higher-than-average rates of other autoimmune disorders, including autoimmune thyroid disease, celiac disease, and Addison’s disease.
Doctors measured blood levels of certain “autoantibodies” that serve as markers of the conditions. Autoantibodies are immune system proteins directed against the body’s own cells. Of the 491 children in the study, 1 in 8 had antibodies related to celiac disease, and a quarter of those kids had the disease.
The American Diabetes Association recommends that children with type 1 diabetes be tested for thyroid disease and celiac disease at the time of their diabetes diagnosis. (After that, thyroid screening should be done yearly, and celiac testing if there are potential symptoms.)
Read all about the association between diabetes and celiac here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/21/us-kids-diabetes-idUSTRE73K80620110421