Celiacs

I'm allergic to wheat and gluten intolerant. Because I can't have wheat (or any contaminated/related grains), I can't be tested for CD. My GI, skin, and neuro symptoms have resolved since going GF, so there's no doubt that gluten is a problem for me.
It could be missed, though. You could opt for genetic testing, though it's not 100% and won't indicate active CD--just the likelihood/possibility of developing it.
It sounds like he's still getting gluten in the form of cross-contaminated goods, though, so you could probably have blood tests done right away. False negatives are common, false positives are not.
Is there any chance his skin problems are dermatitis herpetiformis (DH, google for pictures)? If so, a dermatologist can biopsy clear skin adjacent to the rash. If it comes up positive for DH, he has CD and you have your answer.
ygg

Krasota, do you mind me asking what kind of symptoms you had? I have an almost 3yo DD who has MFA and still has GI symptoms plus some behavioral (neuro maybe?) issues that we can't seem to get to the bottom of.
As of last we have eliminated most dairy per Allergist recommendation. The only thing left as a common denominator seems to be gluten.
She now eats no peanuts, tree nuts, egg, shellfish, beef, pork, chicken, turkey and most dairy. But still having problems. We see the allergist at the end of March for recheck and update. I've heard that in children Celiac Disease can cause behavioral problems.
Does anyone else have any info??
I'm really struggling.
Thanks in advance,
Kara

I think some of the older CD threads (in this forum or in Off topic) have posts where those of us with gluten issues have posted symptom lists.
My symptoms included just about every symptom of MS (gluten ataxia: neuropathy, neuralgia, gait problems, swallowing issues, brain fog, joint pain, etc), IBS-D, bloating, rashes of various sorts, CFIDS, folic acid/b12/iron deficiencies, etc. I was *not* underweight by any means. I also have fibro and hope to see some improvement as I remain GF.
I know that many parents try the specific carbohydrate diet, Feingold diet, gluten-free/casein-free diet, etc, especially for behavioral/neuro problems. You can probably find some info on that in Off-Topic.
ygg

Sorry...don't know how to post the link...but check out my Feb 21 post under Reactions / Stories about "Baby Drew".
I do not have a celiac diagnosis, but am actively investigating it.
For what it's worth, I have skin rash on my elbows (outer surfaces), only mild IBS symptoms (more like urgency to go but not the big D), recurrent mouth sores, recurrent miscarriages, definite brain fog...
My 6-year-old son is quite thin (like I always was) and has coordination, sensory and behavioral symptoms similar to ADHD, ASD, anxiety, outbursts, etc. He may have one or many or none of the above...not attempting to say why anything is the way it is at this point. Just sharing.
April

So are we all more at risk of celiac disease because we have a food allergy in the family? I've been trying to figure this out online, but all I can see is that auto-immune diseases correlate with it.
They actually were a little suspicious of celiac in my youngest when she stopped gaining weight and her head circumference dind't increase for a short while when she was a toddler. But then she grew again. But I read the symptoms and wonder a little about my DS: gas & bloated belly, chronic constipation that has led him to a specialist once, occasional unexplained diarrhea, attention difficulties noticed by his teachers but not suspected of being ADHD, unusually thin enough that the Dr. advised ways to sneak extra calories into his diet. Could it be celiac or am I connecting dots that I shouldn't? We don't have celiac in our family that we know of, although there are multiple people with rheumatoid arthritis. Do you think allergies and celiac are related or entirely different things?

Celiac is an autoimmune disorder. The RA points to it more than the food allergies.
HOWEVER . . . [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/wink.gif[/img]
A damaged gut (and CD causes damage) can lead to the development of food allergies. My doctors think that's my problem, as most of my food allergies are adult onset.
ygg

I think I had suggested celiac in another thread . . .but I can't remember which thread it was now.
It will be difficult to diagnose celiac disease since the only gluten your son has been consuming is in rice dream . . .you can run the blood tests, but they are generally negative unless on a gluten-filled diet.
I didn't actually go through with the biopsy--my GI doctor suspected celiac though when I told him I am allergic to wheat and that oats triggered reflux. I supected celiac earlier on account of one of krasota's posts on another message board, but hadn't pursued it (other than to mention the possbility of celiac disease to my allergist--he totally dismissed the issue.)
I also feel tired and a bit spacey when eating gluten . . . it was particularly noticeable with wheat. I had loose stools as well, but I just figured that was normal until I went off gluten.
It is really liberating to feel good after eating. I also feel much less social stress. After eating gluten, I used to have some trouble concentrating on what other people were saying and I felt kind of stupid. My mom has told me that I'm a 'better listener' now, too [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
But symptoms can really vary in severity . . .that's what's tricky about diagnosing celiac. What makes it even more difficult is a lot of doctors are operating on the basis of outdated medical knowledge.
I find it useful to have some good sources on hand to back me up. no doctor is going to argue with the NIH or with the most well known centre for celiac disease research in North America (at Columbia University), right?
See [url="http://consensus.nih.gov/2004/2004CeliacDisease118html.htm"]http://consensus.nih.gov/2004/2004CeliacDisease118html.htm[/url]
and also
[url="http://www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu/CF-HOME.htm"]http://www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu/CF-HOME.htm[/url]