Swedish women with coeliac disease in remission use more health care services than other women: a controlled study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether the perceived poor outcome of dietary treatment makes Swedish women with coeliac disease (CD) prone to use more health care services than other women.


METHODS
The health care consumption over 36 consecutive months was examined for 137 Swedish women aged 20-80 years with CD in remission after living on a gluten-free diet for a median of 4 years (range 1-8 years). Comparisons were made with the health care consumption of 411 women in the general population matched for age and residence.


RESULTS
The results show that women with CD use health care services annually a median of 5.0 times (range 0-76) that is more than female controls 3.6 (0-311) (p < 0.05) mainly in primary care and for complaints related to mental and behavioral disorders (ICD F), diseases of the digestive system (ICD K) and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (ICD M).


CONCLUSIONS
Women with CD used health care services in keeping with studies indicating reduced health-related quality of life of people with this condition. The results provide evidence that women with CD in remission suffer from co-morbidities that may signal a need for a multidisciplinary follow-up of subjects with CD in Sweden.
Roos
Susanne
S
Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Linköping University, Campus Norrköping, Sweden. susanne.roos@liu.se
Wilhelmsson
Susan
S
Hallert
Claes
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult