Celiac is a systemic autoimmune disease.
In other words, celiac affects more than just the gut.
Today, let’s talk about kidneys because a follower asked about kidneys and inspired this week!
One kidney condition that comes up in the research is IgA nephropathy, also called IgAN or Berger’s disease. IgA is part of the immune system. In IgA nephropathy, those immune proteins build up in the kidney’s filtering units causing problems.
Some people may have blood or protein in their urine. Some may develop high blood pressure or swelling. Some may not notice symptoms for years.
One Swedish study found that people with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease had about a 3-fold increased risk of later IgA nephropathy. That sounds scary. But this is where actual numbers matter.
In that study, 7 people with celiac disease developed IgA nephropathy, compared with 11 people in the non-celiac group.
So yes, the relative risk was higher.
But the actual number of cases was still very, very small. Not none, but small.
That is why we need to understand risk instead of just reacting to scary-sounding numbers.
A newer 2026 nationwide study found that people with celiac disease were almost 3 times more likely to undergo a solid organ transplant (liver, kidney, heart, or lung) overall. The study does not tell us exactly why transplants were higher, and it does not mean most celiac patients will ever need a transplant. That’s just what they found.
There is also a more practical kidney issue: kidney stones.
Untreated celiac disease can cause malabsorption. In some people, malabsorption can cause the gut to absorb too much oxalate. Oxalate then leaves the body through urine, and too much oxalate in urine can contribute to kidney stones.
One study found that adults with untreated celiac disease had a higher risk of urinary stone disease, and that a gluten-free diet reduced stone risk.
Blood or protein in the urine, recurrent kidney stones, swelling, high blood pressure, or abnormal kidney labs are worth discussing with your doctor.
Why am I talking about this?
Because celiac is not confined to the gut, we need to understand how it can show up elsewhere. Not so we panic. So we know when something deserves follow-up.
If your celiac is well controlled, then when other issues arise, you and your doctor are not automatically guessing whether uncontrolled celiac is part of the problem.
The goal is to understand your disease well enough to ask better questions, get appropriate follow-up, and protect your health without living in panic.
Because “just eat gluten-free” was never a complete medical plan.
Tomorrow we will talk about the liver and celiac disease.
Follow Fat Celiac for real-life gluten-free conversation about living with celiac disease in a gluten-covered world.
Note this is not medical advice. Please confirm all sources and consult a doctor before making any health related decisions.
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