ENT Manifestations of Celiac Disease: A Scholarly Review

Celiac disease is a common multisystemic autoimmune disorder. It is now increasingly recognized that it may present with extraintestinal manifestations which contribute to the difficulty in its diagnosis. The objective of this scholarly review was to examine the extraintestinal ENT manifestations of celiac disease and its pathophysiology and management, in order to highlight that some patients with celiac disease may present initially to the otolaryngologist. Improving awareness of celiac disease among otolaryngologists may aid in the correct diagnosis and correct management plan.

A literature review was conducted using the PubMed database to identify original articles related to celiac disease and ENT manifestations between the years 2000 and 2020. The search was performed using the search string: ("coeliac disease" OR "celiac disease") AND ("ENT manifestations" OR "hearing loss" OR "epistaxis" OR "nasal septal perforation" OR "obstructive sleep apnoea" OR "vertigo" OR "tonsillitis" OR "sinusitis"). Only articles written in English were reviewed.

A total of 17 papers met the inclusion criteria. Extraintestinal ENT manifestations of celiac disease include sensorineural hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, nasal septal perforation, epistaxis, and vertigo with nystagmus. Sensorineural hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, nasal septal perforation, vertigo, and nystagmus are thought to result from immunologically mediated mechanisms, with intestinal malabsorption resulting in epistaxis.

Celiac disease can cause extraintestinal ENT manifestations and requires a high index of suspicion from the otolaryngologist to diagnose and suitably manage. A gluten-free diet may result in sufficient symptom resolution for most manifestations. Sensorineural hearing loss due to celiac disease appears to be progressive and permanent and may require frequent audiological monitoring.