Evaluation of Severity, Prevalence, and Complications of COVID-19 among Celiac Patients over the Age of 20 in Sistan Region, Iran

COVID-19 is an epidemic viral infection that has especially caused great concern for those with chronic diseases. Few studies have been conducted in Asian countries on the prevalence and severity of COVID-19 complications among celiac patients. This study aimed to determine the frequency, severity, and prevalence of COVID-19 complications among celiac patients in Sistan region.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 200 patients including 40 celiac patients and 160 matched controls were studied from September to October 2021. All celiac patients in our registry were contacted and a detailed questionnaire was administered to collect required data. In addition, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on patients to detect COVID-19. Recorded variables were compared between celiac patients and controls using t-test and Chi-square test. Statistical analysis was carried out using Stata 14 software.

Out of 200 patients, 25% of celiac patients and 18.13% of controls were infected with COVID-19. Additionally, 60% of COVID-19 infected celiac patients had severe gastrointestinal symptoms and none were hospitalized, while 31% of COVID-19 infected controls had gastrointestinal symptoms and 3.45% were hospitalized. The frequency of Marsh score above 2 was significantly lower among COVID-19 infected celiac patients compared with uninfected celiac patients.

The presence of celiac disease posed no additional risk for COVID-19 infection in terms of prevalence and frequency. However, in comparison to the general population, celiac patients experienced more severe gastrointestinal complications when infected with COVID-19.