Metabolic control, adherence to the gluten-free diet and quality of life among patients with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease

AIMS: In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to evaluate metabolic control, adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD), and quality of life (QoL) in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and celiac disease (CD). METHODS: We targeted individuals with T1D and CD at a major tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. We gathered retrospective data from medical records and prospectively assessed glycemic control using HbA1c and ambulatory glucose metrics, adherence to a GFD using the Celiac Dietary Adherence Test (CDAT), and QoL using the Celiac Disease Quality of Life survey (CD-QoL). RESULTS: Forty-eight out of 1095 patients screened (4.38%) were included. Mean age and HbA1c were 21.3 (± 6.6) and 8.3% (± 0.8%). The average time in range% and above range% were 38.5 (range 24–68) and 29.6 (± 7.4). The median hypoglycemic events/month was 8, with a median duration of 80 min. The median overall CDAT and CD-QoL scores were 20.5 and 54. No significant correlations were observed between glucose management indicator (GMI), % in target, and CDAT/CD-QoL scores (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: No significant effect of GFD on QoL or glycemic control was observed. Further prospective studies are warranted to establish solid evidence of the impact of GFD on individuals with T1D and CD. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13098-023-01167-x.