The majority of celiac disease patients surveyed reported getting symptoms such as brain fog, headaches and migraines after being exposed to gluten.

Neurological symptoms are often not recognized as being related to celiac disease

By Amy Ratner, director of scientific affairs

Neurological symptoms, including brain fog and headaches, are frequent and can be severe after someone with celiac disease is exposed to gluten, Beyond Celiac original research found.

The study, based on an online survey of more than 3,000 adults registered in the Go Beyond Celiac patient registry, was presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting.

Symptoms might not be recognized

Neurological symptoms of celiac disease are less well known than gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain. Beyond Celiac conducted the study and presented it at AAN to draw neurologists’ attention to symptoms that might not be recognized as signs of celiac disease in their patients.

“Patients with celiac disease may seek care for neurological symptoms, and it is important to recognize the needs of this population, gain further understanding of how the disease may present with or exacerbate other neurological conditions,” the study concludes.

Majority of patients report neurological symptoms

About 90 percent of survey participants, nearly 2,800, said they experience symptoms after being exposed to gluten. Although abdominal pain, low energy and bloating were reported the most often, neurological symptoms were not far behind in frequency and severity. Brain fog was reported by more than 75 percent of those surveyed, followed by headache/migraine, at about 62 percent, then tingling or numbness at about 40 percent and ataxia at about 22 percent.

All the neurological symptoms were ranked as being severe or very severe, as were the most common gastrointestinal symptoms.

Many more women answered the survey than men, and a higher proportion of them reported symptoms after gluten exposure. Age also had an effect, with those reporting symptoms having an average age of nearly 46 years, compared to about 49 years for those without symptoms.

Resources for neurologists shared

The study poster was presented by one of the authors, Erin Miller, Beyond Celiac assistant director of research & health equity programs. It included access to a digital resource for neurologists, “Could your patient have celiac disease?”

Beyond Celiac is funding ongoing research at the University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK, focused on neurological symptoms of celiac disease and other gluten-related related disorders.

AAN, with more than 40,000 members, is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals.