Be on the look out for these two bandits! They frequently team up together, look and act alike, and can rob you of your good health and quality of life...they may even be killers!
Not many people who have Crohn's Disease are aware that they may also have Celiac, yet both are auto-immune diseases and share very similar symptoms. Both diseases are characterized by diarrhea, cramping, bloating, mal-absorption and can be lethal!
Research done in Italy on 6/30/2005 indicated that there is a high prevalence of celiac disease in those with Crohn's disease, and that all patients who are diagnosed with Crohn's disease should begin a gluten-free diet at the time of diagnosis. Their study evaluated 27 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with Crohn's disease...13 were men and 14 were women, with a mean age of 32.3 years. Each patient was screened for celiac disease using antigliadin, antiendomysium, and antitransglutaminase blood antibody tests, and the sorbitol H2 breath test. If either the blood or breath test was positive, the patients were given a small bowel biopsy for final confirmation.
The researchers advised that doctors should test Crohn's patients for Celiac disease, and consider treatment with systemic steroids or oral budesonide, in addition to providing short-term nutritional support until the patients respond fully to a gluten-free diet. Some related findings regarding Celiac disease sufferers indicate rates have actually risen some 400% in the last fifty years. Some of that is due to advances in diagnostic technology, and increased awareness, but scientists also consider increased wheat and gluten consumption to be a major cause.
Can Celiac, like Crohn's disease be deadly? A team of nine researchers affiliated with the Celiac Center of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School, and with the Mayo Clinic say yes indeed. It is a rare and very serious form of Celiac Disease called Celiac Crisis. Even though Celiac Crisis is a rare condition that strikes adults, it is nonetheless serious and carries a high risk of death. In most cases, patients with the condition present clear signs and symptoms, such as severe unexplained diarrhea and malabsorption. It was suggested that doctors should test such patients for Celiac disease, and consider treatment with systemic steroids or oral budesonide, in addition to providing short-term nutritional support until the patients respond fully to a gluten-free diet.
So many of these tests are hard to pronounce and even the details of their findings somewhat difficult to understand, yet it is important that you get your doctor to check you out for Celiac Disease. Actually, simple blood tests quickly indicate if you have the disease or not.
My first thought after I read about this research, was how easily someone could conclude that all their symptoms could be the result of only Crohn's disease when actually it could be due to Celiac as well. I was fooled myself, up until I received a blood test for Celiac 3 years ago at the advice of my gastroenterologist. I ended up testing positive for the disease. Subsequently, I have altered my food intake...going on gluten/wheat free diets. Since then, I have able to control the Celiac, and have also been successful in improving my overall Crohn's condition. The last time I had a colonoscopy, back in October 2010, my doctor said I had almost no evidence of the disease. So...suggest to your doctor that you'd like to be tested for Celiac. Or, if he offers you the opportunity, go ahead and agree to have the test. You may discover a partner in crime lurking somewhere in your stomach, along with Crohn's just waiting to steal your good quality of life away.
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