People with celiac disease, which is an  intolerance for gluten, are about 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with nerve damage than those without the disease, according to a study at Karolinska Institutet.

The study involved 28,232 individuals from Sweden whose celiac disease was confirmed with small-intestine biopsies, alongside 139,473 age- and sex-matched controls,  the Medical News Today notes.

Researchers identified 198, or 0.7 percent of participants with celiac disease who were later diagnosed with neuropathy, while neuropathy was later diagnosed in 359 or 0.3 percent of control participants. The risk of developing neuropathy was estimated to be 64 per 100,000 person-years among participants with celiac disease, while the absolute risk of neuropathy was estimated at 15 per 100,000 person-years among participants without the disease.

The research team also concluded that patients with neuropathy should be screened for celiac disease.

Source: Medical News Today