Celiac Princess

Women with Reproductive Health Issues Should Be Screened for Celiac Disease

It took my mom and dad almost 10 years to have a successful pregnancy...yes, they eventually got me and my awesome little sister, but it wasn't without spending thousands of dollars on fertility treatments and repeated heartbreak from miscarriage after miscarriage. If the doctors had diagnosed my wonderful mother with Celiac Disease when she was in her 20s instead of 40s, it could have saved my parents years of distress and grief when they started trying to have children.

The good news is that researchers are getting closer to understanding how Celiac Disease affects reproductive health. In fact, a new study in the journal BMC Gastroenterology finds that women with Celiac Disease are much more likely to experience reproductive health issues than healthy women. The study, which was conducted by Italian researchers from the Department of Medical and Occupational Science at the University of Foggia Viale Pinto, evaluated 62 women with Celiac Disease and compared their reproductive health experiences with 186 healthy women.

The researchers found that nearly 20 percent of women with Celiac Disease experienced amenorrhea (disruption of the menstrual cycle or completely missing a period), while only 2.2% of healthy women experienced the same complication. Additionally, the study found that women with Celiac Disease were much more likely to experience complications such as threatened miscarriage, hypertension, intrauterine growth retardation and anemia than their healthy counterparts.

The researchers conclude that physicians should screen all female patients who experience reproductive health issues for Celiac Disease in hopes of starting the gluten-free diet and preventing future reproductive complications. This is huge news for the Celiac Disease community and could save millions of woman the heartache of repeated reproductive health issues. After all, a simple change to a gluten-free diet fixes the problem and allows a lifetime of health and happiness. 

Australian Researchers Looking Towards New Treatments for Celiac Disease

Good news! The mystery of celiac disease is becoming a bit more clear thanks to a fantastic bunch of scientists in Australia. A new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine finds that there are three fragments in the gluten protein that trigger celiac disease. 

For the study, researchers from The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Victoria, Australia evaluated 244 people with celiac disease residing in Australia and Britain. The patients participating in the study ate gluten-containing foods for three days while the researchers looked at how the immune system cells responded.

Despite the gluten protein containing more than 16,000 components, the researchers found that only three were involved with the celiac disease response. Being able to isolate these components is a huge step forward in better understanding the disease and finding new alternatives to treatment.

Lead Researcher Dr. Robert Anderson says that the findings could help scientists find a more targeted treatment for celiac disease other than just a lifelong gluten-free diet.

Since their discovery, Dr. Anderson and his colleagues have begun developing an injectable drug that contains small portions of each of the three fragments. The researchers hope that exposing the immune system to small doses of the fragments could help people with celiac adjust to eating them regularly.

Read more at http://stm.sciencemag.org/

Good news! The mystery of celiac disease is becoming a bit more clear thanks to a fantastic bunch of scientists in Australia. A new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine finds that there are three fragments in the gluten protein that trigger celiac disease. 

For the study, researchers from The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Victoria, Australia evaluated 244 people with celiac disease residing in Australia and Britain. The patients participating in the study ate gluten-containing foods for three days while the researchers looked at how the immune system cells responded.

Despite the gluten protein containing more than 16,000 components, the researchers found that only three were involved with the celiac disease response. Being able to isolate these components is a huge step forward in better understanding the disease and finding new alternatives to treatment.

Lead Researcher Dr. Robert Anderson says that the findings could help scientists find a more targeted treatment for celiac disease other than just a lifelong gluten-free diet.

Since their discovery, Dr. Anderson and his colleagues have begun developing an injectable drug that contains small portions of each of the three fragments. The researchers hope that exposing the immune system to small doses of the fragments could help people with celiac adjust to eating them regularly.

Read more at http://stm.sciencemag.org/

Celiac Disease, Gluten Sensitivity Increase Risk of Death

A new study published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) finds that people with mild intestinal inflammation and a sensitivity to gluten have a greater risk of death even amongst patients who do not have severe symptoms.This means you could have only mild issues and perhaps not even test positive for celiac disease, yet still have a greater risk of death.

For the study, Swedish researchers examined tissue biopsies collected from 46,121 patients in Sweden between 1969 and 2008. Amongst the samples, they found 29,096 patients with celiac disease, 13,306 with inflammation of the small intestines and an additional 3,719 with latent celiac disease. For those of you who don't know, latent celiac refers to patients who have celiac disease antibodies present in their blood, but do not show signs of damage to their intestines.

After a median of 7.2 years follow-up, the researchers determined that the risk of death increased by 75% for patients with mild intestinal inflammation, 35% for patients with latent celiac or gluten sensitivity and 30% for patients with diagnosed celiac disease. Amongst the patients with celiac disease, the most common causes of death were cancer and cardiovascular disease. 

In an editorial accompanying the article, Dr. Peter Green of the Celiac Center at Columbia University Medical Center said the most interesting finding was that about patients with latent celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, largely because the issue has received little attention in the United States.

He adds that there is "increasing evidence for [gluten sensitivity] presence in patients with various neurological disorders and psychiatric problems. The study....reinforces the importance of celiac disease as a diagnosis that should be sought by physicians. It also suggests that more attention should be given to the lesser degrees of intestinal inflammation and gluten sensitivity." 

Mayo Clinic Study Finds Celiac More Common Today Than 50 Years Ago

A new study by celiac experts at the Mayo Clinic and published in the journal Gastroenterology finds that celiac disease is more than four times more common today than it was 50 years ago. 

For the study, researchers from the Rochester, Minn-based Mayo Clinic tested blood samples collected at the Warren Air Force Base between 1948 and 1954 for celiac disease and compared the results with those from blood samples collected recently. The researchers found that young people today are more than 4 times more likely to have celiac disease than the same age group in the 1950s. 

Additionally, the study determined that patients who did not know they had celiac disease were almost 4 times as likely than healthy patients to have died during the 45 years of follow-up. 

Celiac Expert and Gastroenterologist Dr. Joseph Murray of the Mayo Clinic says that "Celiac disease has become much more common in the last 50 years, and we don't know why." 

To learn more about the study, check out this awesome video with Dr. Murray: 

Home Celiac Test Video on YouTube

Check out this awesome video on YouTube about the Biocard Celiac Test! It shows you exactly how to use the home celiac test and helps you understand how it works. The test that measures (anti-tTG) IgA antibodies from a fingertip blood sample. The U.S. FDA is currently evaluating the test and is expected to grant approval in the United States sometime in 2009.

Honestly, I can't wait for the approval to come. Once this test is in the the hands of doctors in America and easily available in stores for purchase (just like in Canada), celiac diagnosis could become as easy as diagnosing strep throat!

Here's a link to a longer article I wrote about the test kit a few months back: All About the Biocard Celiac Test.  

Australian Researchers to Launch Celiac Vaccine Trial

New research from Australia could eventually lead to the end of the gluten-free diet for millions of people with celiac disease.

Researchers from Melbourne, Australia-based Walter & Eliza Hall Institute recently discovered the exact part of the gluten protein that causes a reaction in patients with celiac disease. According to Dr. Jason Tye-Din, the vaccine works by "switching off the abnormal response to gluten" that occurs in patients with celiac disease. The vaccine will essentially de-sensitize a patient's body and "restore the ability of the small intestine to absorb nutrients in the normal way."

The first trial will involve 40 patients with celiac disease and will determine whether or not the treatment is safe and if there are any side effects.

While this is incredibly exciting news, the vaccine is still several years and trials away from being available to all patients. So, for the meantime, stock up on your favorite gluten-free goodies and embrace the gluten-free lifestyle with a smile!

Celiac Disease Risk Significantly Higher for Type 1 Diabetics

Type 1 diabetics have a significantly increased risk of developing celiac disease, according to a media release from 2G Pharma. In fact, the frequency of celiac disease doubles in adults with type 1 diabetes to 2% and jumps to 10% incidence among children with type 1 diabetes.

We all know that celiac is exceptionally hard to diagnose because of the broad range of symptoms associated with the disease. Diagnosis becomes even more difficult for patients with type 1 diabetes because most of the children with both conditions experience mild or no symptoms at all of celiac.

So what is type 1 diabetes? According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), a person with type 1 diabetes doesn't produce any insulin.  Without insulin, the glucose builds up in the blood, causing high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia.  Blood sugar levels that are too high and untreated for long periods of time can lead to ketoacidosis, a very serious condition. Very high blood sugars for an extended period of time can eventually lead to coma and death. It's a serious condition that requires lifelong maintenance However, it's important to note that with proper care, people with type 1 diabetes can live happy, healthy and active lives. 

To learn more about Type 1 Diabetes, please visit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The good news for people with both type 1 diabetes and celiac disease is that diagnosis of celiac is getting easier and more accessible. In fact, Health Canada recently approved an at-home test that allows you to test for celiac disease from the comfort of your own home. The Biocard Celiac Test uses a fingertip blood sample to measure antibodies in your blood. In just 10 short minutes, the test will identify if you have celiac disease. The makers of the test are confident that the test is accurate, however they still strongly recommend follow-up with your doctor to confirm the diagnosis with a small intestine biopsy.

The test kit can be purchased online and is available in Canada at London Drugs, Rexall Pharma Plus, Price Smart, Save on Foods and other Canadian retail chains. In the United States, the FDA is currently reviewing the test and approval is expected later this year. U.S. residents can order the test for personal use by calling the company directly.

For more information about the test, please visit http://celiachometest.com/

NIH Releases Digestive Health Research Plan

In hopes of helping the nearly 70 million Americans who suffer from digestive health problems annually, the National Commission on Digestive Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) this month released a research plan that will take a closer look at digestive diseases including diagnostic tools, genetic predisposition, treatment strategies, psychological factors, disparities in health care, prevention and cures.

To put digestive diseases into perspective, symptoms including diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting account for about 105 million doctors' visits and roughly $100 billion in health care spending annually in the United States.

Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says that "NIH-research has led to tremendous discoveries" and hopes to "build on recent advances and break new ground." Rodgers notes that the NIH hopes to bring in new researchers and utilize a peer review system to identify "projects with high scientific merit" to pursue.

Celiac disease is on the list of diseases to examine, however it appears only under one objective. "Improve Therapeutic Regimens for the Wide Range of Diseases Affecting the Stomach and Small Intestine." The plan lays out in more detail that they hope to conduct further research on treatments for celiac disease, autoimmune and allergic diseases that affect the digestive track.

This is good news, but lets hope that the NIH takes a greater interest in celiac in the near future. We desperately need to understand the genetics of the disease, how it is triggered and if it can be prevented.

Study links Celiac to Increased Risk for Lymphoma

A study published in the January 2009 issue of the journal Gastroenterology finds that patients with celiac disease and their family members have an increased risk of developing lymphomas. 

Researchers from the Bethesda-based National Cancer Institute and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden evaluated 60,000 patients with lymphomas and found that patients with celiac disease were five times more likely to develop a lymphoma, compared with patients who did not have the autoimmune disease. Family members of people with celiac disease were two times as likely to develop a lymphoma.

Before we get into more study results though, let's back up to make sure you actually understand what lymphoma is. According to the National Library of Medicine, lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system. There are several different types, but the type most closely linked to celiac disease is called non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Typical symptoms of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma include:

• Swollen, painless lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fever
• Soaking night sweats
• Coughing, trouble breathing or chest pain
• Weakness and tiredness that don't go away
• Pain, swelling or a feeling of fullness in the abdomen

Laboratory tests will help your doctor determine if you have non-hodgkin's lymphoma. The most common treatments include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and bone marrow transplant.

Although it remains unclear what the actual link between celiac and lymphoma is, the researchers speculate that celiac disease leads to inflammation and that inflammation drives the development of lymphomas. 

The researchers suggest two key messages from the findings. First, that early detection of celiac disease can help decrease the risk of developing lymphoma. This was evident when researchers examined the link between celiac and lymphoma in the 1970s and compared it to rates today. Finally, people with a family history of celiac disease have a higher risk of developing lymphoma, which may suggest an "underlying mechanism that leads to both celiac disease and lymphoma.

So what's the bottom line? Get tested for celiac disease and if you're positive, routinely test your family members. An early diagnosis and treatment with a gluten-free diet could help prevent developing cancer later in life.

More about Gluten in Medications

I've gotten so many comments and emails about my post last week about the rising cost of prescription drugs and gluten in medications that I decided to do another post about it to help answer many of your questions. We can all agree that most people around the world consider wheat to be something that we find in baked goods. However, the really scare reality is that the medication you take to cure aches, pains and serious diseases could contain wheat too. 

According to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP), many prescription and over-the-counter medications contain binders to hold them together. The binders are called excipients and are generally made from wheat, corn, potato, or tapioca starch as well as other unspecified types of starch. If you have celiac disease and you get a pill that is bound with wheat, you may experience a typical celiac reaction.

Excipients are considered inactive ingredients and to date, there are no federal requirements in the United States mandating labeling of inactive substances in medicine; only active ingredients are labeled.

Common excipients include:

• Corn
• Modified starch
• Potato
• Pregelatinized starch
• Wheat
• Tapioca
• Pregelatinized modified starch

Because there is no requirement for labeling inactive ingredients, finding out if medication has gluten in it can be quite a difficult process. To find out if a medication contains gluten, patients typically have to call a drug manufacturer directly to obtain the information.

The process is no easier for pharmacists or physicians in a hospital. Even the drug inserts that come with medication do not contain this information, so pharmacists are left calling the same consumer help numbers at the drug companies to obtain the information.

To highlight the importance of education on the issue, on December 3, 2007, CNN Newsroom Anchor Heidi Collins addressed an audience of 12,000 in-hospital pharmacists at the American Society of Health System Pharmacists Mid-Year Clinical Meeting. Heidi spoke about spending Christmas Eve in a hospital emergency room. Her six-year-old son, who has celiac disease, had a horrible infection and desperately needed a course of antibiotics. At 11:00pm on Christmas Eve, no one at the pharmaceutical companies was available to tell the doctors if there was gluten in the pills.

Consumer question departments are generally available Monday through Friday during business hours, making it almost impossible to find out the contents of a pill over the weekend or on holidays.

After calling the NFCA to help her locate the information, Heidi’s son received a strong dose of intravenous antibiotics and recovered quickly from his illness and was able to enjoy his Christmas gifts!

Heidi challenged each pharmacist in the room to become educated about the presence of gluten in medication to prevent other families from encountering the same frightening situation that she did.

To help educate the pharmacists, the  American Society of Health System Pharmacists created two informational brochures: one for pharmacists and one for consumers. To download a copy, visit www.ashp.org.

Heidi was joined at the conference by world-renowned poet Maya Angelou.

To help patients and pharmacists determine gluten content, several organizations have developed guides. Below is information about my favorite resource:

GlutenFreeDrugs.com is a website maintained by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus Ohio. It provides information for medications including: analgesics, antibiotics, antidiarrheals, antihistamines, cough and cold, antifungals, asthma, enzymes, eye and ear, nasal sprays, oral contraceptives, oral hypglycemics and vitamins.