Study Finds Celiac Disease to Increase the Risk of First-Time Acute Pancreatitis

A recent study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine found that people diagnosed with celiac disease undergo a increased long-term risk of developing acute pancreatitis for the first time, though they are not more likely to experience repeated attacks once the condition occurs.

Acute pancreatitis is a potentially serious condition characterized by sudden inflammation of the pancreas, often requiring hospitalization. While many patients recover fully, severe cases can lead to complications and long-term health issues. Thus, the findings of this study will support the understanding a previously uncertain relationship between the autoimmune digestive disorder and inflammation of the pancreas.

This research analyzed data from more than 57,000 individuals with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease and over 279,000 matched individuals from the general population. Using national histopathology data collected over more than 5 decades, this  study tracked participants for a median period of 15.5 years to assess the occurrence of acute pancreatitis.

The study revealed that 549 individuals with celiac disease developed acute pancreatitis during the follow-up period, corresponding to an incidence rate of about 58.7 cases per 100,000 person-years. 1,732 people in the matched general population group experienced acute pancreatitis with an incidence rate of 37.8 cases per 100,000 person-years.

After adjusting for multiple factors, this research found that individuals with celiac disease had a 42% higher risk of developing acute pancreatitis when compared to people without the condition. The increase translates to roughly one additional pancreatitis case for every 185 patients with celiac disease during the first 25 years following diagnosis.

The elevated risk was observed across several forms of acute pancreatitis, which included cases related to gallstones as well as those unrelated to gallstones. Severe cases of pancreatitis were also more common among individuals with celiac disease. However, no increased risk was identified for pancreatitis associated with alcohol use.

Despite the increased risk of a first episode, this study found no evidence that celiac disease raises the risk of recurrent acute pancreatitis. Among participants who survived an initial pancreatitis episode, the rate of recurrence was similar between those with celiac disease and those without it.

Statistical analysis suggested a slightly lower recurrence risk in celiac patients, but the difference was not considered significant. Additional sensitivity analyses supported the main conclusions, suggesting that genetic and shared environmental factors were unlikely to explain the observed association.

Source:

Yao, J., Sun, J., Ebrahimi, F., Bergman, D., Green, P. H. R., Lebwohl, B., Leffler, D. A., Sanders, D. S., Lindkvist, B., Vujasinovic, M., & Ludvigsson, J. F. (2026). Long-term risk of acute pancreatitis in patients with celiac disease: A nationwide population-based cohort study. Journal of Internal Medicine, joim.70074. https://doi.org/10.1111/joim.70074