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CELIAC/GLUTEN-PAGE 2
This page provides more information on CELIAC (CD) , and DERMATITIS HERPAETIFORMIS (DH) diseases, Gliadin and contians resources, links and associated resources. If a site fails to work e-mail me and I will look at it as soon as I can, but they are forever changing - 05/10/2007.
- CELIAC DISEASE - CLASSIC CELIAC SYMPTOMS - OTHER CELIAC SYMPTOMS - CELIAC DIAGNOSIS -
- DERMATITIS HERPETIFORMS DISEASE - DH SYMPTOMS - DH DIAGNOSIS -
- DIAGNOSITIC RESISTANCE - DIAGNOSTIC WARNING - TESTING FOR CD & DH - GLUTEN FREE DIET -
- ASSOCIATED DISEASES & CONDITIONS - THOSE WHO BENEFIT FROM THE CELIAC DIET -
CELIAC (CD)DISEASE is a hereditary autoimmune gluten intolerance disease of the small intestine that results in a lifetime of ever increasing allergies, illnesses disease complications and symptoms caused by vitamin, mineral and nutrient malabsorption. It is an allergy to Gliadin,(an alcohol-soluble extract of the Gluten proteins and peptides found in wheat, barley, and rye) resulting in an inability to consume any products containing Gluten even in the smallest amounts. The disease is also known as "celiac syndrome", "celiac sprue", "gluten-induced enteropathy", "idiopathic steatorrhea", and "non tropical sprue" In infancy and childhood the disease can be fatal and can lead to a number of physical and mental difficulties. Celiac disease and its alternate and associatied form DH Dermatitis Herpatiformis requires a LIFE-TIME "Gluten Free"( GF) {Gliadin Free} Diet. From adolesence to late middle age the disease may present as a variety of symptoms that are not obviously related affecting different body systems, and are often misdiagnosed, and treated as separate, problems with temporary or short term relief, only to arise again as another apparently unrelated symptom.. The most common being anemia and vitamin deficiency diseases.
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CLASSIC CELIAC (CD) SYMPTOMS: These are the symptoms most doctors are aware of and may include any or all of - abdominal pains, diarrhea, bloating, weight loss, anemia, chronic fatigue, weakness, bone pain, joint pain and muscle cramps. steatorrhea ( in the form of bleeding, bloody stools, greasy stools, foul smelling stools, light coloured stools that float,) oral ulcers. Many doctors do not look for Celiac until the patient is already severly affected and in the late withered and wasting stages, with recurrent abdominal pain, short stature, osteoporosis,
OTHER CELIAC (CD) SYMPTOMS: Children may exhibit delalyed puberty, disruptive, hyperactive, behavioral, learning or concentration problems. Contrary to belief by many doctors all men women and children may experience overweight , obesity, listlessness, irritability, stubborness, diarrhea, and bloated abdomen. This is often accompanied by growth failure, dental enamel defects, and dental changes, projectile vomiting. rheumatoid conditions, chronic anemia, chronic fatigue, weakness, migraine headaches, seizures, epilepsy, nerve problems such as tingling of hands or difficulty walking. constipation, constipation alternating with diarrhea, or premature osteoporosis. Any allergic conditions (see Allergic Reactions) that are unexplained and/or do not respond to usual treatment should be considered as a possible indicator of celiac.. Becuase of hormonal imbalance Women may experience amenorrhea (lack of menstrual periods) infertility and miscarriages, while men may experience impotence. Individuals may often have more than one of these symptoms and are frequently misdiagnosed as having 'irritable bowel syndrome', 'spastic colon/bowel', or Crohn's disease or are being treated for the symptom rather than the cause.
CELIAC DIAGNOSIS : is often mis-diagnsosed and can exist for many years in what is called "SILENT CELIAC" with a person having normal blood tests. The severe forms of the disease are often found very early in childhood appear to subside or go away and then recure in later years. The silent form will show up as other allergies or mimic other diseases. It was once thought that individuals grew out of the disease particularily in adolescence but this is now known to be false, and the disease manifests itself as other allergies and surfaces in later years with increased serverity and severe complications. In North America although 1 in 30 (and recent research showing as many as 1 in 15) have the potential for the disease as few as 1 in 3000 with the disease ever have it diagnosed and treated correctly resulting in a lifetime of unexplained symptoms, suffering and discomfort with a greatly increased risk of shorter life from immune diseases and complications.
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DERMATITIS HERPATIFORMIS (DH) DISEASE - DH is a hereditary autoimmune gluten intolerance disease linked with celiac disease. With DH, the primary lesion is on the skin, whereas with celiac disease the lesions are in the small intestine. DH Is a chronic disease of the skin . If you have DH, you always have Gluten Intolerance . The ingestion of gluten (from wheat, rye, and barley) triggers an immune system response that deposits a substance, lgA (Immunoglobulin A), under the top layer of skin. IgA is present in affected as well as unaffected skin.
DH SYMPTOMS: groups of watery, itchy blisters that may resemble pimples or blisters. The lgA deposits under the skin result in eruptions of red raised patches of skin, similar to the beginning of a pimple, that can develop into small watery blisters. The itching and burning of the eruptions are severe and the urge to scratch them is intense. Scratching will further irritate the eruptions. Eruptions commonly occur on pressure points, such as around the elbows, the front of the knees, the buttocks, back face, and scalp but can appear anywhere on the body. Eruptions are usually bilateral - occurring on both sides of the body. 60% of those diagnosed are men and the most common age at diagnosis is 15 to 40 years old. The degree of damage to the small intestine is often less severe or more patchy than those with celiac disease. Thyroid disease is commonly associated with DH.
DH DIAGNOSIS - a small biopsy of the unaffected skin very close to an eruption or eruption site. The presence of IgA deposits confirms a diagnosis of DH. Sometimes the Dr. may also want blood work or biopsy for celiac disease. However that is usually unnecessary now since it is known that if you have DH you always have Gluten Intolerance
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DIAGNOSTIC RESISTANCE: There is a great resistance by both doctors patients and the general public, to consider or accept either a Celiac or DH Diagnosis. No one wants to believe for example that bread or pasta can harm you. There is an immediate response of denial, and a general tendency to dismiss those with it as being "weird", "super sensitive", attention seeking, or simply "imagining it". First of all people in general do not want to believe that grains can be detrimental or that something recomended as good for you by the Canadian or Other National Food Guides can actually be harmfull. In addition because there are no people obviously or suddenly dropping dead around those diagnosed with gluten allergies it is considered not that serious. Finally the medical profession is sadly both grossly ignorant and mis-informed about the subject most especially in recognizing and connecting the many symptoms, and in diagnosing or treating the disease until people are in the final stages of being weak, emaciated, wasted, and sometimes near death. This is made more difficult by preferring to diagnose and measure only against the proverbial Gold Standard. Fortunately attitudes in the medical profession are changing. However you are still 20-30 times more likely to be diagnosed correctly in Europe than in North America. The average diagnosis in North America takes 11-15 years where as in Europe the average diagnosis takes 3-5 months. Even when the diagnosis is made in North America there is a tendancy for medical professionals to remain ignorant of or fail to address the overall implications and often prescribe medications that contain gluten, or that increase the malabsorption of vitamins and minerals in an already stressed body and tend to forget that this is an Auto Immune disease with a broad range of symptoms and effects.
Both diseases are permanent. Damage will always occur after consuming any gluten although the original symptoms may be vague, disguised or initially go unnoticed.
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WARNING- ONCE ANY MEMBER OF A FAMILY IS DIAGNOSED WITH CELIAC(CD) or DERMATITIS HERPAETIFORMIS(DH) WARNING
-- ALL-- THE IMMEDIATE MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY (Parents Brothers Sisters and Grandchildren) MUST BE TESTED - -
Not becuase it is contagious but because the THE DISEASE IS GENETIC and can therefore only be acquired through the genes of ONE or BOTH PARENTS. This means at least 1 parent has the disease in one form or another and IS A CARRIER of the Genes. This also means that at least one GRANDPARENT IS CARRYING THE GENE and the brothers and sisters of both the diagnosed and the parents have a high (almost 50% each) probability that they are carrying the disease. It is important to determine the carrier for current and future generation in the family. The disease may be showing up in one of its many disguised forms or in the "SILENT" form which is just as serious because the damage is going unchecked . Failure to determine the carrier and subsequent offspring is NEGLIGENCE and for those affected will result in years of unnecessary physical and mental suffering from the many symptoms as well as severe life threatening and life shortening complications. When the disease does surface and it is not a matter of "if" , it will be in and already advanced stage and most of the damage will have already occured making treatment more difficult, less effective, and more likely to be associated with a number of painfull and life threatening auto immune diseases, and complications.
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INITIAL TESTING: for CD or DH can be done by a physician. The Celiac Panel tests can be referred to by the names of the individual tests and should include the following blood antibody tests: anti-endomysial antibody (lgA EmA) and anti-gliadin antibody (lgA & IgG), and tissue transglutaminase (tTG IgA). These tests are very sensitive and specific for celiac disease. Full Gold standard diagnosis requires a biopsy showing damaged villi in the small intestine for confirmation. This is an intrusive medical proceedure, it is uncomfortable and sometimes painfull and in most cases requires anesthetics. However removing gluten products from the diet for several weeks may be just as effective and far less intrusive. Particularily since it is possible to have normal blood tests and still have CD, and since following the medical tests, and biopsies, full confirmation to the Gold Standard still requires both the adoption of a gluten free diet, and improvement of health. Since the adoption of the diet is required as an essential part of the standard unless there is some important reason to go through the stress and pain of the biopsy, to get an absolute confirmation adoption of the diet and improvement of health would be far less intrusive particularily for Seniors, and small children or for siblings of a known Celiac or DH sufferer. As there are no medications that can prevent, relieve or alleviate the effects of gluten a lifetime Diet is essential as soon as possible.
Early Childhood Diagnosis can often be confused with many allergies (see Common Allergies) and other diseases (See Below). Mis-diagnosis or failure to treat the disease results in increasing allergies, and complications that result in failure to correct, or treat for gluten, the root cause.
DIET: The Celiac diet is A LIFE TIME GLUTEN FREE DIET and applies to all those with CD and DH and is beneficial to those with several other conditions (See Associated Diseases and Conditions Below) It takes approximately 5 years of strict adhearance to the Celiac Diet to reduce the risk of other complications and diseases back to normal levels and failure to follow the diet results in ever increasing occurences and likelihood of immune diseases such as non Hodgkins Lymphoma, digestive cancers and other life threatening ailments. Stopping the diet results in damage continuing to occcur from where it left off as if the exposure was continuous and the break never occured. Celiac and DH are often accompanied by Lactose and Sulphite allergies and intollerances which may be caused by the inflammation of the intestine. The lactose intolerance often decreases and dissapears once the GF diet is stabalized.
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ASSOCIATED DISEASES & CONDITIONS (Alphabetical Order)
IN ADDITION TO COMMON ALLERGIES (See Common Allergies List - Reaction Page) CELIAC DISEASE is associated with mis-diagnosed as or complicated by and with the following:
Addison' s disease
Alopecia Areata
Anemia
Autism
autoimmune chronic active hepatitis
autoimmune disorders
Chrohn's Disease
Cystic Fibrosis
Dermatitis Herpaetiformis
Diverticulitis
DH (Duhring's disease)
Downs Syndrome
early bone disease
Failure to Thrive
Fibromyalgia
Gallbladder disease
Gout
Graves' disease
general skin conditions
insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type 1),
infertility
impotence (ED)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Lactose Intollerance
Multiple Sclerosis
myasthenia gravis
Pancreatic Fibrosis
Rhematoid Arthritis
scleroderma
Sjogren's syndrome
Spastic, colon/bowel,
systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Thyroid disease
Ulcerative Colitis
Vitamin Deficiency
{Back-to-Top} THOSE WHO BENEFIT FROM THE CELIAC GLUTEN FREE DIET
Those with the above mentioned conditions often benefit from the non Gluten Diet with dramaticaly reduced symptoms and decreased complications. Recent reports about the effect of the diet on Autistic and Hyperactive Children are encouraging more research. This will in turn provide a greater variety of products and public awareness. Of interest here is the fact that Cats and Dogs both of which are naturally carnivourous have a high incidence of gluten sensitivigy which results in many of the same symptoms as people. In one case that I am very familiar with it caused the animal to be ravonousy hungry, and hyperactive to the point of panting, sudden exhaustion, and collapse. Changing to non gluten canned foods totally changed the animals personality now try and find gluten free pet food.
**** WARNING **** WHEAT FREE DOES NOT MEAN GLUTEN FREE **** WARNING ****
CELIAC-3
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