Endocrine aspects of coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease (CD) is a permanent intolerance to gluten that results in damage of the small intestinal mucosa, and it is one of the common causes of chronic malabsorption in children. It is well known that patients with CD are at great risk of malignant complications, but in patients with CD many other disorders have been recognized. Autoimmunity diseases, such as type 1 diabetes mellitus, thyroid diseases, and autoimmune polyglandular syndromes are known to be associated with CD, and they seem to be related to gluten exposure.