Posts Tagged ‘Celiac disease’

 


If you or someone you know has a child with a mental illness, behavioral problem or unexplained neurological issue, you must watch these videos. They vividly illustrate how gluten and celiac disease can cause neurological illnesses and how removing gluten and casein from the diet can improve or cure the child.

Eamon Murphy started exhibiting mental aberrations and problems eating at three months of age. By the time he was three, his parents were frantically trying to understand what had caused his developmental delay in walking and talking, and now his trances, seizure-like episodes and regression. After a determined effort by his mother and a series of extraordinarily lucky events, he was finally diagnosed with celiac disease…and FULLY RECOVERED.

Watch these videos NOW and then forward this message to everyone you know with a child with a similar mental illness and their healthcare providers…because it is unacceptable that any child should be unnecessarily consigned to a life of suffering and diminished potential when a simple change in diet may cure them.

Eamon is totally normal now. If he had not been diagnosed, it is easy to see how he could have become incapacitated within a few years as his body and mind became sicker and sicker. Eventually, he may have been labeled autistic or schizophrenic. He may just have been called odd and slow.

Was it a miracle that Eamon recovered? No. It was a miracle that Eamon was diagnosed…

Here are some facts:

Autism affects 1 in 150 children. Medical experts recommend behavioral management and specialized speech, physical and occupational therapies (costing an estimated $70,000 per year per child), medications, community support and parental training.

Medical experts recommend AGAINST dietary intervention, yet the gluten-free/casein-free diet that helped Eamon has been demonstrated in thousands of cases to improve or resolve symptoms.

Celiac disease is still considered a rare gastrointestinal disorder that affects children by the majority of health professionals. In reality, celiac disease affects 1 in 100 people of any age, classifying it an epidemic by NIH standards. More people have celiac disease than Type 1 diabetes, breast cancer or autism. Diagnosis of celiac disease is estimated to take up to 11 years from first presentation of symptoms. Only 5% of people with celiac disease are estimated to be diagnosed.

Gastrointestinal problems occur in about 20% of people with celiac disease whereas neurological problems have been seen in as high as 51% at time of diagnosis.

The treatment for celiac disease is removing gluten from the diet and correcting nutrient deficiencies and any complications that have developed.

Unless you have symptoms that doctors expect to see – chronic diarrhea, failure to thrive, abdominal bloating and pain, and anemia – your likelihood of being diagnosed is extremely low.

For a complete list of symptoms related to celiac disease including dozens of neurological issues and problems in childhood, visit Gluten Free Works.

An excellent resource that outlines over 300 signs and symptoms and explains the relationship between celiac disease and the nutrient deficiencies that cause them is the book Recognizing Celiac Disease, by Cleo Libonati, RN, BSN. Recognizing Celiac Disease was endorsed by Dr. Peter Green, the director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University who diagnosed Eamon Murphy.


Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Category: Gluten Free Casein Free Diet, Mental Disorders, Neurological Disorders, Symptoms, Videos
4 Comments »

trumppic

By Nancy Lapid, About.com Guide to Celiac Disease

Celiac disease has been a topic on not one but two TV shows in the past few days. I hardly watch television, so I’m fortunate to have learned about these episodes from a fellow blogger, the Gluten-Free Optimist.
First, the cable network BBC America’s reality show Last Restaurant Standing had an episode (#13) in which competing restauranteurs were required to come up with food for celiac guests (and other “tricky customers”) without advance warning. This episode will be replayed; the schedule is posted on the BBC America site. (more…)

Tags: , , ,
Category: News, News
No Comments »

 

cataract1
——————

The post below is a response to a young woman with cataracts and celiac disease. Cataracts are directly related to nutrient deficiencies of Vitamin A, calcium and possibly vitamin B2 in celiac disease. (Editor’s note.)

Hello,

I am 20 years old, have celiac disease and cataracts. The optometrist told me it is because I have fair skin and light eyes and have had too much sun exposure. I grew up in Mobile, AL and spent everyday I could at the beach so this could be true. It is very interesting that you brought up this topic though. It never crossed my mind that these two could have anything to do with each other.

-L

Hi L,

Many eye problems are found in celiac disease. Cataracts are directly related to nutrient deficiencies. “Cataract formation, a feature of vitamin A deficiency and long standing hypocalcemia, is characterized by clouding of the lens of the eye. In celiac disease, it results from malabsorption of vitamin A and calcium. Vitamin B2 may be involved. GFD (gluten-free diet) is preventive and limits further changes.” (Recognizing Celiac Disease, p. 213) That said, we know that malnutrition can persist on a GFD due to unintentional gluten ingestion, poor diet, etc. Ask your physician to take levels of vitamin A, B2 and calcium to make sure you are absorbing adequate amounts.

-John

————————————–
Author Information: John Libonati, Philadelphia, PA
Publisher, Glutenfreeworks.com.
Editor & Publisher, Recognizing Celiac Disease.
John can be reached by e-mail here.

Tags: , , ,
Category: Cataracts, Symptoms
No Comments »

recognizing_celiac_disease_cover_lg1
The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center has chosen Recognizing Celiac Disease as the supplemental reading material for medical professionals who complete its Preceptorship Program.

Dr. Stefano Guandalini, medical director of the center, recommends the book for both patients and healthcare providers. “The book is useful for prospective patients to determine whether their complaints are consistent with celiac disease. It is also an excellent patient resource for self management, especially in identifying ongoing and future health problems related to celiac disease and bringing them to the attention of their physician for proper treatment. “Recognizing Celiac Disease” is a useful reference that will serve as a helpful tool for health care providers and anyone diagnosed with the disease.”

The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center’s Preceptorship Program is an on-site intensive 2-day training course for medical professionals. Candidates study under the direction of the Center’s celiac disease experts. The course includes formal instruction, as well as hands-on training. This is the nation’s only such program. More information about the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center and the Preceptorship Program can be found at www.celiacdisease.net.

“Recognizing Celiac Disease” is the definitive guide to understanding, diagnosing and managing celiac disease. It is a reader-friendly, celiac disease reference manual written for both medical professionals and the general public.

For more information visit, www.recognizingceliacdisease.com.

Tags: , , , , ,
Category: Celiac disease, Publications, Resources
No Comments »

 

restless leg syndrome treatment

RLS from low iron in celiac disease responds to a gluten-free diet

Low iron levels have been associated with increased severity of restless leg syndrome. The following medical case report discusses four patients with low iron and restless leg syndrome who were tested positive for celiac disease and placed on a gluten free diet. All four had improvement on the gluten free diet.

“Celiac disease as a Possible Cause for Low Serum Ferritin in Patients with Restless Legs Syndrome.”

Manchanda S, Davies CR, Picchietti D.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Medicine, 506 S. Mathews Avenue, Suite 190, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To describe celiac disease as a possible cause for low serum ferritin in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS). BACKGROUND: Low iron stores have been found to be a risk factor for RLS with serum ferritin levels less than 45-50ng/mL associated with increased severity of RLS. It has become routine clinical practice to test serum ferritin in the initial assessment of RLS. Celiac disease is a common genetic disorder that can cause iron deficiency.

METHODS: Consecutive case series of four patients with RLS and serum ferritin below 25ng/mL, who had positive screening tests for celiac disease. RESULTS: We report four patients who had serum ferritin <12ng/mL and positive screening tests for celiac disease. All had celiac disease confirmed by duodenal biopsy and response to a gluten-free diet. RLS symptoms improved in all four, with two able to discontinue RLS medication and two responding without medication.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with RLS and low serum ferritin who do not have an obvious cause for iron deficiency, we suggest looking for celiac disease by simple, inexpensive serologic testing. Diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease is likely to improve the outcome for RLS, as well as identify individuals who are at risk for the significant long-term complications of celiac disease.

Source: Sleep Med. 2009 Jan 10. [Epub ahead of print]
url: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19138881

Tags: , , , , , ,
Category: Celiac disease, Health, Restless Leg Syndrome
No Comments »

New IBS Guidelines Include Screening for Celiac Disease

December 20th, 2008 by John Libonati

New guidelines for the treatment of IBS published by the American College of Gastroenterology include screening for celiac disease…

New IBS Guidelines Offer Treatment Ideas

American College of Gastroenterology Updates Recommendations for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
By Bill Hendrick

WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDDec. 19, 2008 — New guidelines have been issued by the nation’s gastroenterologists that are aimed at easing the abdominal pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which afflicts millions of Americans.

The guidelines, issued by the American College of Gastroenterology, also offer hope to patients who’ve struggled with the condition and found satisfactory treatments lacking.

IBS is diagnosed in people whose symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation, or a combination of these symptoms. Though sometimes confused with inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, IBS is a separate condition.

IBS care uses up more than $20 billion a year in direct and indirect expenditures, according to William Chey, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Gastrointestinal Physiology Laboratory at the University of Michigan Health System. He developed the guidelines in conjunction with Philip Schoenfeld, MD.

“The last time the American College of Gastroenterology published guidelines for the management of IBS was in 2002, and the College recognized that in the span of five to six years there has been a remarkable explosion in knowledge that’s become available that’s helped us to understand the cause and management of IBS,” Chey says in a news release.

Tests and Treatments for IBS
According to the new guidelines:

Patients with symptoms typical for IBS — and without alarm features like rectal bleeding, low blood count due to iron deficiency, weight loss, or a family history of colon cancer, IBD, or celiac disease — do not need extensive testing before being diagnosed.

IBS patients with diarrhea, or a combination of constipation and diarrhea, should be screened with blood tests for celiac disease, a disorder in which patients can’t tolerate the gluten protein found in wheat or other grains.

When IBS patients have alarm features or are over 50 years old, they should have further tests (such as colonoscopy) to rule out other bowel disease such as IBD and colon cancer.
IBS patients and their doctors should consider treatments involving antidepressants, which have been shown to offer relief.

The drug Amitiza helps with women who have IBS with constipation; the non-absorbable antibiotic rifaximin can ease IBS and bloating as a short-term treatment. And Lotronex, a drug that affects serotonin receptors, can be considered for patients with severe IBS with diarrhea.

Certain anti-spasm treatments may offer short-term help with abdominal pain from IBS. These include hyoscine, cimetropium, and peppermint oil.

A probiotic called Bifidobacteria may help some IBS patients.

According to the guidelines, women are twice as likely as men to suffer from IBS, which often begins in young adulthood. Gastroenterologists have found that dietary changes have proved helpful, including the addition of dietary fiber supplements such as psyllium.

Chey says IBS can be managed in most patients with counseling, dietary and lifestyle interventions, and use of both over-the-counter and prescription medications.

The guidelines suggest many treatments might be tried, though the authors concede no single magical answer has yet been found to eliminate symptoms in IBS patients. But the guidelines offer hope for people with IBS that their doctors can try a number of methods to reduce discomfort, and that some of the steps that can be taken seem to work.

ARTICLE SOURCE: http://www.webmd.com:80/ibs/news/20081219/new-ibs-guidelines-offer-treatment-ideas

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Category: Diagnosis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Symptoms, Testing
No Comments »

A new study brings more evidence that there is a link between celiac disease and gluten. This article in Scientific American reviews the study.

Diabetes and celiac disease: A genetic connection
Patients with type 1 diabetes have been known to be more prone to another autoimmune disorder, celiac disease, in which gluten in wheat, rye and barley triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine or gut. Now there’s evidence that the two diseases have a genetic link: they share at least seven chromosome regions.

The discovery, published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine, indicates that both diseases may be triggered by similar genetic and environmental mechanisms, such as certain foods, that cause patients’ immune systems to become overactive and destroy healthy instead of infected tissue. Previous research has found that celiac disease is five to 10 times more common in people with type 1 diabetes than in the general population, an editorial accompanying the study notes.

“These findings suggest common mechanisms causing both celiac and type 1 diabetes – we did not expect to see this very high degree of shared genetic risk factors,” said study co-author David van Heel, a gastrointestinal geneticist at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Van Heel and his colleagues studied genetic material or DNA from about 20,000 people, half of them healthy, nearly half with type 1 diabetes, and 2,000 with celiac disease. The overlapping genetic variants occurred on regions of chromosomes (parts of cells that carry genetic code) that are believed to regulate the gut’s immune system, the BBC notes.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy beta cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin, which is needed to convert glucose into energy. In celiac disease, a similar attack occurs on the small intestine when sufferers eat gluten-rich grains, causing inflammation in the gut that can lead to bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, anemia, headaches, weight loss and failure to thrive in children. Whereas diabetes 1 patients must inject insulin daily to make up for their deficiency, people with celiac disease can avoid damage and symptoms by sticking to a gluten-free diet.

“The finding raises the question of whether eating cereal and other gluten products might trigger type 1 diabetes by altering the function of the gut and its interaction with the pancreas, the authors write. But Robert Goldstein, chief scientific officer of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which helped fund the study, says it would be premature to assume from this study that gluten is also a diabetes trigger.

“I fear the newspaper headlines in the popular press will read like, ‘Eating wheat will cause type 1 diabetes,’” Goldstein tells us. “The presence or absence of these associations has to be linked to some biological consequence” for a person’s health.

Article Source: http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=diabetes-and-celiac-disease-a-genet-2008-12-11

*UK Study Source: Shared and Distinct Genetic Variants in Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease, New England Journal of Medicine. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa0807917

Tags: ,
Category: Celiac disease, Diabetes, News
No Comments »

 

PRESS RELEASE
Milestone Marks the First Time a European Patient with Active Celiac Disease has Enrolled in a Clinical Trial for an Investigational Medication from Alba Therapeutics
Last update: 8:22 p.m. EST Nov. 11, 2008
BALTIMORE, Nov 11, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –

Alba Therapeutics Corporation announced today that for the first time, a European patient with active celiac disease has been enrolled in its clinical trial to investigate a treatment for the disease. Alba has enrolled and randomized the newly diagnosed patient from Spain in an eight-week Phase IIb trial with oral larazotide acetate, a tight junction regulator, for the treatment of patients with active celiac disease (CD). The global multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study will evaluate the clinical and histological efficacy, safety and tolerability of larazotide acetate in 106 active CD subjects adhering to a gluten-free diet, while assessing improvement in the clinical signs and symptoms of celiac disease.

“These are decisive times for our desire to one day be able to offer our celiac patients a treatment that allows them to live more normal lives,” said Dr. Gemma Castillejo, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist and principal investigator in the study. Dr. Castillejo, a leading European celiac expert from the Sant Joan de Reus University Hospital in Reus, Spain added, “I believe this clinical trial has the potential to be a turning point in the search for treatments for celiac disease.”
“This is a major milestone for the celiac community in Europe,” stated Francisco Leon, MD, PhD, Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs of Alba. “This is Alba’s sixth human trial with larazotide acetate, and we are excited to be advancing our investigational program for larazotide acetate in this important region of the world.”
About Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder where gluten has been identified as the environmental trigger of the disease. Gluten is an ingested protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Gluten is broken down into gliadin which can pass through the intestinal epithelial barrier during times of increased intestinal permeability. The ingestion of gluten causes an immune response which triggers an inflammatory reaction in the small intestine. This then causes damage to the villi in the small intestine and can lead to total villous atrophy in celiac disease. This results in varying symptoms such as fatigue, skin rash, anemia, fertility issues, joint pain, weight loss, pale sores inside the mouth, tooth discoloration or loss of enamel, depression, chronic diarrhea or constipation, gas and abdominal pain. The immunology and nutritional abnormalities in celiac disease can potentially result in long- term complications such as osteoporosis, refractory sprue, small intestinal cancer, and lymphoma.
Celiac disease is a growing public health concern, affecting approximately 3 million people in the United States and over 6.5 million people worldwide. The only current management of celiac disease is complete elimination of gluten from the diet, which can be very difficult to implement in practice. Additionally, the response to the gluten-free diet is poor in up to 30% of patients, and dietary nonadherence is the chief cause of persistent or recurrent symptoms.(1)
(1) Green, P, and Cellier, C, Review Article,
 Medical Progress, Celiac Disease, N ENGL J MED
 2007;357:1731-43
About “Larazotide Acetate”
Larazotide acetate is an experimental medicine and a tight junction regulator that acts locally by inhibiting the opening of tight junctions in epithelial cells lining the small intestine. In celiac disease, gluten crosses the epithelial barrier and stimulates the immune system, leading to cytokine release, gut inflammation, and opening of tight junctions. This leads to increased paracellular permeability, increased entry of gluten and the establishment of an intestinal permeability-inflammation loop. Larazotide acetate inhibits tight junction opening triggered by both gluten and inflammatory cytokines, thus reducing uptake of gluten. Larazotide acetate disrupts the intestinal permeability-inflammation loop, and reduces symptoms associated with celiac disease. Larazotide acetate is orally formulated, has been granted “Fast Track” designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of celiac disease, and is also being evaluated for the treatment of Crohn’s Disease.

For more information about Alba’s clinical trials, please visit the www.clinicaltrials.gov web site and search for Alba Therapeutics.

About Alba
Alba Therapeutics Corporation is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of therapies to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Alba’s technology platform is based upon a key pathway that regulates the assembly and disassembly of tight junctions in cell barriers throughout the body. As a result of its unique technology platform, Alba is a leader in mucosal biology and has developed a pipeline of innovative therapeutic candidates that has the potential to modify the course of disease and significantly improve upon existing treatments for a wide range of diseases such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and Asthma/COPD or acute lung injury.
    Media: Mariesa Kemble
    Sam Brown Communications
    608-850-4745
    kemblem@aol.com 

    Corporate: Wendy Perrow, MBA
    Alba Therapeutics Corporation
    410-878-9850
    info@albatherapeutics.com
    http://www.albatherapeutics.com
----------------------
Author Information: John Libonati, Philadelphia, PA
Publisher, Glutenfreeworks.com.
Editor & Publisher, Recognizing Celiac Disease.
John can be reached by e-mail here.

Tags: , ,
Category: Research, Treatment
No Comments »

The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University is sending a free copy of their newly revised Ultimate Guide to Gluten-Free Living to everyone on their contact list as of July 30, 2008.  To receive a copy, please email your complete contact information (name, address, phone, fax, email) to cb2280@columbia.edu.  The guide will be mailed after July 30, 2008.

The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University was established within the Department of Medicine at Columbia University in 2001.  Its mission: to redefine the future of celiac disease and treatment on an ongoing basis, through continuing advances in research, patient care, and physician and public education.

Under the guidance of Peter Green, MD, one of a few recognized experts on celiac disease in the United States, the Center has become world-renowned for its services and programs and is one of the first medical school based centers in the United States dedicated to the treatment and study of celiac disease. The Center is diagnosing and treating more than 2600 patients annually from around the world.  Additional information is available online at www.celiacdiseasecenter.org.

Tell Cynthia Gluten Free Works sent you!  :)

-John

John Libonati, Editor
john.libonati@glutenfreeworks.com

Tags: , ,
Category: Events, Publications
No Comments »

Dentists Can Help to Recognize Celiac Disease

July 21st, 2008 by John Libonati

gluten free dentist
Photo © ADAM

Dentistry Blog

By Tammy Davenport, About.com Guide to Dentistry since 2005

Celiac disease causes the body’s immune system to damage and attack the small intestine upon consumption of proteins in barley, rye, wheat and possibly oats. Since there are no specific blood tests to determine if someone has Celiac disease, doctors use blood tests to look for certain autoantibodies and biopsy the small intestine to look for traits of Celiac disease.Nancy Lapid, our Guide to Celiac Disease, points out that certain dental conditions are more common in people with this disease, which puts dentists in a good position to help notice when a patient might have Celiac disease.

Some examples of dental related problems in a patient with Celiac disease are tooth enamel defects, canker sores and delayed eruption in the teeth.

Source: http://dentistry.about.com/b/2008/05/14/dentists-can-help-to-recognize-celiac-disease.htm

Tags: , , , , , ,
Category: Bone Health, Dental Defects, Dentistry, Diagnosis
5 Comments »

Powered by eShop v.6