(177) Preeclampsia and the risk for celiac disease of the offspring

Objective: While the pathophysiology of preeclampsia is multifactorial, the immune system plays a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease. As celiac is an immune mediated inflammatory disease, we opted to investigate the association between maternal preeclampsia and celiac disease of the offspring.

Study Design: A population-based cohort study was conducted to evaluate the risk of celiac disease in offspring (up to the age of 18 years) born to mothers with and without preeclampsia. Deliveries occurred between the years 1991-2021 in a tertiary medical center. Data for the diagnosis of celiac disease of the offspring was extracted from community-based clinics and hospitalization records. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to compare the cumulative incidence of celiac disease between the study groups. A cox proportional hazards model was used to control for confounders.

Results: During the study period, 356,356 singleton deliveries were included in the study of which 13,721 deliveries (4.2%) were in women with preeclampsia. Being born to a woman with preeclampsia was not significantly associated with higher risk for childhood celiac disease of the offspring (0.6% vs. 0.5%, p=0.378, Table). Likewise, the Kaplan-Meier survival curve did not demonstrate a significantly higher cumulative incidence of celiac disease in offspring born to women with preeclampsia (Log- Rank p=0.416, Figure). Using a Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for maternal celiac disease, maternal age and gestational age at birth, maternal preeclampsia was not independently associated with childhood celiac disease of the offspring (Adjusted HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.71-1.11, p=0.316, Table).

Conclusion: Despite the shared possible pathophysiology of preeclampsia and celiac disease, no significant association was found between maternal preeclampsia and childhood celiac disease of the offspring.