Celiac disease (CD) occurs more frequently in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), yet population-level estimates and temporal patterns remain limited. A population-based longitudinal study published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice evaluated the epidemiology of CD in the general pediatric population and among children with T1DM, along with temporal trends over 13 years.

The analysis included children aged <15 years from the Marche Region, Italy, using healthcare utilization databases from 2011 to 2023. Prevalent and incident cases of T1DM and CD were identified through hospital discharge records, drug prescriptions, and healthcare exemption databases. Prevalence ratios (PR), incidence rate ratios (IRR), temporal trends, and cumulative CD risk after T1DM diagnosis were assessed with 95% confidence intervals.

Over the study period, the prevalence of T1DM and CD in the general population was 1.65‰ and 5.28‰, respectively. Among children with T1DM, CD prevalence reached 97.7‰, which was higher than in the general population (PR 18.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 14.3-24.0). CD incidence was 65 per 100,000 person-years in the general population and 2,410 per 100,000 person-years among children with newly diagnosed T1DM (IRR 37.0; 95% CI, 24.7-55.4).

The six-year cumulative probability of developing CD after T1DM diagnosis was 10.3% (95% CI, 6.2%-14.3%). These findings show that CD occurs more frequently in children with T1DM, particularly in the early years after diagnosis. These observations support the need for systematic CD screening in this population.