hi I'm new to this forum,and I just wanted to ask if anyone knows of neurological problems that can be caused by undignosed coelaic disease!? from trisha

Hi Trisha -
I am very interested in the relationship between food - especially wheat/gluten - and mood or behavioural conditions.I know that many people with autistic children have found that excluding gluten from their childrens' diets can significantly reduce their autistic symptoms (and that removing both gluten and dairy can occasionally have really amazing effects). I also know that I get very bad tempered and crotchety when I have eaten gluten by mistake.

So I was really interested to read a BBC report about research in Scotland linking wheat gluten with schizophrenia. Apparently more than 30% of schizophrenics have 'high levels of antibodies against wheat gluten' so a gluten free diet might help to reduce symptoms. They were also wondering whether gluten might act as a trigger to schizophrenia for someone who was genetically predisposed to it.
If anyone wants to read the reports it is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...ds/8009930.stm

Hi Trisha, I am new to this forum too. I am an undiagnosed celiac, four years ago I was diagnosed with diverticulitis, I noticed this was aggravated by gluten products so eliminated them from my diet. However, have become complacent in recent months and on a trip to Europe five weeks ago, ate basically everything and anything - not a care in the world. Boy have I paid for it! My symptoms range from aching joints to mouth ulcers, tummy pains and lethargy, constipation to explosive diarrhoea. But one other sympton joined the list this time and that was vagueness, muzziness quite difficult to describe, but my head just did not feel right. I also had one or two room spinning episodes. It has taken just over two weeks to resolve. I am now on the gluten inclusive diet - 6 weeks of sheer hell to get the right blood test result. I feel this is a must now for me as I have been doing my own thing for the past four years but really need to get diagnosed and then can eliminate all that is making my body ill and be regularly followed up by my GP.
If anyone is interested in how I am doing please feel free to ask.
Gillie

Hi Gillie - remember, if you turn out not to be coeliac, get tested for gluten sensitivity instead. Two different conditions and you could just be intolerant to gluten rather than coeliac. Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

Micki

Hi Gillie

You're wise to go for the coeliac test and, as Micki says, getting tested for gluten sensitivity as well would also be a good idea, if the first test proves negative.

It's not surprising that you experienced 'vagueness', 'muzziness', and 'room spinning episodes', when you consider that untreated coeliac disease and non-coeliac gluten sensitivity can both cause reduced blood flow to the brain! This can also result in mood changes and even psychosis and many other symptoms of mental illness.

See:

http://personalitymooddisorders.suit...mental_illness

Keep us posted re your progress.

Hi Guys

Just to up-date you on my progress, I am now on day 9 of my gluten inclusion diet. The ususal problems have returned, aching joints, mouth ulcers, bloating, other toiletry bad habbits and the muzziness has reared its ugly head. This is going to be a long journey - but I'm prepared for it. Went to see my GP yesterday as I have actually tracked down a Gastroenterologist who has a keen interest in Coeliacs, that is good news as I am going to be referred to her. However, I thought 6 weeks was long enough to be on gluten but the Consultant's Secretary told me that she prefers her patients to be eating gluten regularly for at least 3 months, three months I could hear myself saying, never mind just take one day at a time.

Many thanks John for sending me that link, very interesting reading. Also after further investigations I am not on my own!

I will keep you updated

Regards

Gillie

(All you need is trust, and a little bit of pixie dust)
Peter Pan

Hi Gillie -
Just noticed that it is month since your last post and I was wondering how you were getting on. It is very frustrating that those who suspect that they may be coeliac still have to put themselves through this really horrendous process when they already know that gluten makes them feel terrible!
I had a friend who had a child who she thought was coeliac and was really ill. When she took the little girl off gluten, she got SO much better - but her doctor insisted that a biopsy was the only way that he could diagnose coeliac disease and that for the biopsy to show damage the child needed to be eating gluten for SIX MONTHS! My friend actually refused to allow it at first but the doctor said that he would not be able to treat the child at all if the mother didn't follow his advice. Finally she did put the child back on gluten but she got so ill (terrible digestive upsets, losing weight etc etc) that finally even the doctor had to give way and the biopsy was done after two months - and finally the child got diagnosed and given prescription foods and is now fine.
At least in your case they seem to have reduced the gluten-inclusion period to three months! Maybe even less if you are having as many problems as you detailed in your last post.

Good luck anyhow – it will be such a relief when you can finally get back to some nice, safe, gluten-free food!!

One of the worst manifestations of coeliac disease for my son was seizures.

Hi mozpic,

Well,Cooke and Smith first described the association of neurological symptoms and celiac sprue in 1966. Neurological complications can exhibit features including peripheral neuropathy, myelopathy, optic myopathy, epilepsy and dementia. Malabsorption of vitamins has been implicated and reaction to toxic or antigenic material because of increased mucosal permeability has been speculated in celiac disease. Onset of neurological complications can occur even when vitamin levels are normal and without coexisting villous atrophy. Thus, supplementation is contraindicated.Because celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, neurological symptoms were thought to be of autoimmune origin. However, immunosuppressive therapy did not show benefit. It appears that the onset of neurological complications may follow or precede symptoms and diagnosis of celiac disease. A recently reported study showed antigliadin antibodies in 30 of 53 patients with neurological disease of an unknown cause.

Our conclusions are that severe neurological complications of celiac disease may arise, even when the jejunal biopsy reveals normal results and the patient is asymptomatic. Therefore, we feel that celiac patients should be evaluated for neurological symptoms even in the clinically stable long-term course. In addition, celiac disease needs to be considered when making a differential diagnosis for patients presenting with neurological symptoms of unknown primary cause even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms.

Thanks