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This is a depiction of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody which is elevated in allergic reactions.
This is a depiction of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody which is elevated in allergic reactions.

What Is Allergic Rhinitis?

A llergic rhinitis is an immune disorder characterized by inflammation of the nasal mucosa by an IgE antibody reaction to an allergen.

An allergen is something that triggers an allergic immune response.

Q: What is the immune response?

A: Implicated in the response is an increase in T gamma-delta intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), which is a subset of pro-inflammatory T-cells located in the respiratory mucosa.  Lymphocytes are white blood cells.

When a person with allergic rhinitis breathes in an allergen such as pollen or dust, the body releases chemicals, including histamine that cause allergy symptoms. For example, hay fever involves an allergic reaction to pollen. A similar reaction occurs with allergy to mold, animal dander, dust, and other allergens that are breathed in.

What Is Allergic Rhinitis In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Osteitis Fibrosa Cystica 

Deep Vein Thrombosis in the Right Leg with Swelling and Redness. Coutesy wikipedia.
Deep Vein Thrombosis in the Right Leg with Swelling and Redness. Courtesy wikipedia.

What Is Antiphospholipid Syndrome?

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease and a blood clotting disorder characterized by these clinical and laboratory criteria:

Clinical criteria – recurrent vascular thrombosis (clots in veins/arteries) from hypercoagulability (abnormal excessive clotting) and/or recurrent complications of pregnancy that include loss of the fetus  (miscarriage) and pre-eclampsia or eclampsia.

Laboratory criteria – persistently elevated anticardiolipin, anti–beta-2 glycoprotein I, and/or lupus anti-coagulant antibodies in blood.

In antiphospholipid syndrome autoantibodies are produced by the body and directed against negatively charged phospholipids that are found in the outer layer of cell membranes and platelets. B2-glycoprotein-I (a protein in blood plasma) has been found as a major target antigen for antiphospholipid antibodies.

Q: Are phospholipids important in the body?

A: Yes.  Phospholipid molecules are an essential part of cell membranes. They form a barrier around cells that protect the cell, allow movement of oxygen in and carbon dioxide out of the cell, and regulate other small molecules through the cell wall. Because phospholipids are widespread in the body, this disorder can produce a large variety of symptoms and affect many organs.

One severe effect of APS is the development of a blood clot in a vein deep in the arm or leg, called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVT can cause pain, swelling, redness, or increased warmth in the affected limb. Deep vein clots can break off, travel to the lungs, and cause pulmonary embolism.1 Pulmonary embolism is a medical emergency.

Treatment is with anticoagulant medications and blood monitoring.

What Is Antiphospholipid Syndrome In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/ebc/signs.html [↩]

Osteomalacia

Drawing shows changes in airways during asthma attack. wikipedia
Drawing shows changes in airways during asthma attack. wikipedia

What Is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic immune respiratory condition characterized by narrowing and inflammation of the lung airways (large bronchi, bronchial tubes and small bronchioles) in response to an allergen as the trigger or stimulus. As such, asthma occurs in episodes and does not result in progressive loss of pulmonary function.

During an asthma attack, airways constrict, trapping air so lungs become overinflated.  Normally, bronchial airways bring air to millions of air sacs that are attached to the ends of bronchioles. Air sacs, called alveoli, are only one cell thick to allow for rapid exchange of gases.

That is, oxygen from air breathed into the sacs moves into the bloodsteam and carbon dioxide is released from the bloodstream to air that is breathed out of air sacs.

The outer walls of bronchioles are made up of muscles which, in the process of breathing, normally contract on expiration to help expel air and then relax. During an asthma attack, these muscles abnormally constrict, impairing airflow into and out of the alveoli. This is called bronchospasm.

Common  allergens that cause inflammation include airborne dust mite feces, mold, and pollen and foods such as wheat, cow’s milk, eggs, and peanuts. Non-allergenic triggers include exercise, air pollution, smoking, and viral respiratory infection.

Q: What effect does inflammation have on the lungs?

A: Inflammation causes local tissue edema or swelling of the bronchioles and mucus formation. Inflammation with increased mucus secretions and edema narrows the airways that connect to alveoli which makes breathing difficult.  Two things happen:

  1. Inflammation  impairs exchange of gases in alveoli, resulting in lack of sufficient oxygen (O2) for body cell functions, called hypoxia, and build-up of carbon dioxide (CO2) in blood, called CO2 retention.
  2. Inflammation narrows passageways because of swelling, which reduces the movement of air to and from the alveoli through the airways, and this puts stress on the right side of the heart.

Treatment is aimed at controlling bronchospasm and reducing inflammation. Untreated asthma can be disabling and life threatening.

What Is Asthma In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) 

DSCN4758aWhat Are Brittle Nails?

B rittle nails are abnormalities of the nail plate that are characterized by poor nail structure affecting all fingernails and toenails seen as thin, dry nails that easily chip, split, and are difficult to maintain a clean edge. Usually longitudinal ridging occurs from the nail base to the tips.

Q: What is the nail plate?

A: The nail plate is the hard keratin cover protecting the finger tip and toe tip. The nail plate (non-living tissue) is produced by the nail matrix (living tissue) at the base of the nail plate under the lunula (moon), which is the site of brittle nail development.

Nail Anatomy. A. Nail plate; B. lunula; C. root; D. sinus; E. matrix; F. nail bed; G. hyponychium; H. free margin. Courtesy Wikipedia.org
Nail Anatomy. A. Nail plate; B. lunula; C. root; D. sinus; E. matrix; F. nail bed; G. hyponychium; H. free margin. Courtesy Wikipedia.org

Poor nail structure affecting all nails may be a feature of nutritional deficiency in poor diet or malabsorption such as occurs in celiac disease.

Some other causes are: idiopathic (unknown cause), the result of aging, the effects of certain drugs, or an association with systemic autoimmune disorders such as vitiligo, alopecia areata (with pitting), psoriasis (with pitting), and lichen planus. 

External (non-nutritional or disease) causes of dry, brittle nails, such as detergents and cleaners, would only affect fingernails but not toenails.

Note: It has been shown that working with your hands in water or soaking them through activities like swimming does not cause dry, brittle nails but will worsen them.

What Are Brittle Nails In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Prolactin Structure. Courtesy Boris TM at Wikipedia.
Prolactin Structure. Courtesy Boris TM at Wikipedia.

What Is Hyperprolactinemia?

H yperprolactinemia is an excess secretion of prolactin hormone causing an elevated blood level that is characterized by its effects on reproduction: in females causing  amenorrhea and in males causing reduced sexual potency.

Q: What is prolactin?

A: Prolactin is a hormone produced by the the anterior pituitary gland that is transported by the bloodstream to stimulate androgen hormone production in male and estrogen hormone production in female sex glands. However, too much prolactin inhibits hormone production of estrogen in women and testosterone in men.

In pregnant females upon delivery of a baby, prolactin stimulates breast development and milk production for the purpose of feeding the infant. Sucking by the infant stimulates the release of prolactin which keeps the milk supply adequate.

Prolactin also promotes autoimmune mechanisms. Prolactin interferes specifically with B cell tolerance induction, enhances proliferative response to antigens and mitogens and increases the production of immune globulins, cytokines and autoantibodies.1

Other conditions that can stimulate prolactin release include nutritional deficiencies, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) produced by the pituitary gland, stress, exercise, and anterior pituitary tumors.

What Is An Elevated Prolactin Level In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Sources:
  1. Shelly S, Boaz M, Orbach H. Prolactin and autoimmunity. Autoimmun Rev. 2012 May;11(6-7):A465-70. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2011.11.009. [↩]

Ichthyosis, Acquired  

cheilosisWhat Is Cheilosis?

C heilosis is a painful feature of nutritional deficiencies, especially riboflavin and/or pyridoxine deficiency, and less frequently, from vitamin B12, folic acid, and iron. It is characterized by redness of the lips with cracking and weeping in the corner of the mouth.

Q: What is the consequence of weeping at the corners of the mouth?

A: The open sores that develop at the corners of the mouth invite infection by candida albicans, a yeast organism, and less commonly by bacteria normally present on the skin such as staphylococcus aureus.

These sores make opening the mouth very painful and so restrict eating, talking, socializing, and dental care.

What Is Cheilosis In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Ataxia, Gait

Normal Liver Lobule. Courtesy almostadoctor.com
Figure 1: Normal Liver Lobule. Courtesy almostadoctor.com

What Is Autoimmune Cholangitis?

A utoimmune cholangitis is a rare inflammatory self-targeted disease of the biliary tract produced by high levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and antinuclear antibodies (ANA).

Autoimmune cholangitis is characterized by progressive inflammation and scarring that leads to narrowing and destruction of the bile ducts and development of biliary cirrhosis of the liver.

Autoimmune cholangitis is also termed anti-mitochondrial antibody-negative primary biliary cirrhosis because there is no production of anti-mitochondrial antibodies.

Q: What happens when bile ducts can no longer transport bile out of the liver?

A: Bile that cannot be removed from the liver by the biliary tract backs up and damages the liver, causing cirrhosis. In Figure 1, bile back up would directly damage the hepatic (liver) cells seen here as grey “blocks.” 

Bile is a greenish brown liquid continually made by the liver cells (hepatocytes) from phospholipids salt, cholesterol, and aging blood cells that it removes from circulation. 

Bile also carries away waste products produced by normal metabolism and toxic substances that are removed by the liver for eventual elimination in stool. As such, bile must continually flow out of the liver to prevent build-up in the liver. 

Bile from the hepatic cells drains into small tubes called canniculi and then into larger bile ducts to be carried out of the liver to the gall bladder for storage until needed to aid in the digestion and absorption of fat from the small intestine.   Bile emulsifies fat eaten in the diet so that the pancreatic enzyme called lypase can break it down into its fatty acid and glycerol components. 

Unfortunately, autoimmune cholangitis is difficult to diagnose because it mimics many other diseases such as primary sclerosing cholangitis, sarcoidosis, cancer and lymphoma.

What Is Autoimmune Cholangitis In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Psoriasis: definition

A chronic relapsing dermatosis characterized by scaling, erythema (redness), and less commonly pustulation that is an associated disorder of celiac disease involving deficiencies of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and zinc – features of malnutrition.… 

Arthritis, Psoriatic: definition

A joint manifestation of psoriasis, a systemic autoimmune disease, characterized by asymmetric involvement in one or more joints, especially affecting the distal phalangeal joints of fingers and toes at tips.

Fibromyalgia and Gluten

christie bessinger gluten free works

Have you been told that along with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance, you also have Fibromyalgia? If you have, you’re not alone. What exactly is Fibromyalgia? Well, there are certainly a lot of theories out there about what it is, and how it should be treated. Up until recently, it was considered an “invisible disease” (much like Celiac), and doctors would often diagnose it if they couldn’t find anything else wrong with you. In other words, instead of telling you, “you’re a hypochondriac,” they would say, “You have Fibromyalgia,” and give you an anti-depressant like Cymbalta, to help ease your symptoms.

Thankfully, with more and more people (especially women), complaining of similar symptoms, Fibromyalgia has finally gotten recognition as a legitimate disease. Some of the typical symptoms are