role of gluten-free diet on hba1c level in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus and celiac disease

Background: due to autoimmune mechanisms, celiac disease (cd) may affect patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (t1dm) more than the general population. objectives: we evaluated the effect of a gluten-free diet (gfd) on hba1c levels in patients with both type 1 diabetes and cd. methods: in this cross-sectional study, biochemical and clinical information was gathered from 174 children with t1dm from january 2013 to january 2019. results: we assessed 174 children with t1dm (93 girls and 81 boys). celiac disease was diagnosed in 18 out of 174 cases (10.34%). height and weight percentiles showed significant differences between children with cd and those without cd (p = 0.015 and p = 0.026, respectively). the average hba1c in the celiac group was 8.61 ± 2.20 (95% ci: 5.1 - 12.1) prior to gfd therapy. hba1c was assessed six and twelve months following the initiation of the gfd and was found to be 8.32 ± 1.46 (95% ci: 6 - 9.8) and 8.37 ± 1.67 (95% ci: 6.1 - 10.2), respectively. no significant change in hba1c was observed before and after therapy (p = 0.501). conclusions: diabetic children with cd exhibit lower weight and height compared to those without cd. gluten-free diet therapy in patients with cd did not affect hba1c levels.