Mortality and malignancy in celiac disease.

This article reviews the risk of mortality and malignancy in celiac disease (CD) and examines the evidence of the protective effect of a gluten-free diet (GFD) on mortality and malignancy. Population-based studies have confirmed that patients with diagnosed CD are at increased risk of mortality. However, patients with CD do not seem to be at an increased risk of malignancy, except for an increased risk of lymphoproliferative malignancy and gastrointestinal cancer. The evidence that a GFD reduces the risk of mortality is weak, but there is some evidence suggesting that a GFD may reduce the risk of lymphoproliferative malignancy.