Gout And Celiac Disease: What Is The Connection?

Gout and Celiac Disease; Is There A Connection?

There has always been a considerably amount of speculation about whether or not Celiac and Gout share a common thread. There are several well-known symptoms and/or shared health problems of both of them. Among them are indications of Autoimmune Disorders, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Bone and Joint Pain, which lead to a reasonable assumption that Gout does fit into the realm of Celiac Disease.

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac Disease damages the small intestine and interrupts the absorption of nutrients from food. People who have Celiac have an intolerance to gluten; a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is usually found in foods but many other common products like medicines, vitamins, and lip balms can also contain gluten.

In extreme cases, the presence of gluten on a molecular level is enough to cause severe reactions for those with advanced sensitivities.

When someone with Celiac Disease eats certain foods or uses different products containing gluten, their immune system will damage or destroy the "villi" - the microscopic, finger-like lining of the small intestine. The villi function to allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without the villi functioning properly, signs of malnutrition may start to appear.

Celiac is not only an abnormal immune reaction to gluten, but also a condition where nutrients are not absorbed adequately and studies have shown proof that it is genetic in nature.

There have been reports of Gout Sufferers who also have Celiac Disease that have found relief from both of the diseases with prolonged and intensive use of highly concentrated Antioxidants.

The symptoms of Celiac can also vary with such factors as; a person's age and/or the degree of damage that has been done to the small intestine. Some people have the symptoms and condition for 10 years or more before they are diagnosed. If left undiagnosed and untreated, the greater the risk of sustaining long-term complications.

How does Gout fit in?

Rheumatoid arthritis is typically labeled as an autoimmune disease. No condition is completely and exclusively manifested from internal sources and it is logical that there is always some form of external influences. Fairly often, Arthritis is associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Food allergies, poor gastrointestinal tract function, and immune attacks on connective tissues, are closely associated. In the case of all arthritic instances, close attention should be paid to dietary intake and monitored carefully.

Arthritis that appears to stem from an allergic reaction is not usually recognized as a food allergy, even when pain and swelling starts to develop in one of more of the joints. It doesn't matter if the food is something that is commonly eaten by an individual, or something completely new; joint inflammation can occur due to an accumulation of causes or from a combination metabolic substances. Such is the case with Gout.

Presently, Celiac Disease and "Gluten Intolerance" are often used interchangeably although this is a misconception. To diagnose Celiac, blood tests are drawn to measure for high levels of anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies or anti-endomysium antibodies.

However this is not to discount that more reports are now showing low-level irritation and gluten sensitivities in the small intestine in more people. Due to the number of gout sufferers that are also showing signs of Celiac Disease, as well as the growing number of people expressing inflammatory bowel-like symptoms, there is evidence that low-grade gluten intolerance is affecting a much broader range of the population than previously thought.

The speculation still remains that either Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance is the culprit or at least an accomplice to the condition of Gout.By Bert Middleton

Living With Celiac Disease - Top 5 Tips To Help Living With Celiac Disease

Our immune system is ever vigilant, ready to mount an attack against invaders. It uses inflammation to contain and destroy microbes and other substances that it recognizes as foreign, or not belonging to the body. Have you ever had a splinter in your finger and not removed it right away? The area around the splinter turned a bit red, swollen, and maybe a little warm to the touch. That was your immune system working, using inflammation to contain any harmful microbes before they could invade your body.

In autoimmune diseases something horrible happens. Your body makes a huge mistake! It identifies part of itself as an enemy and mounts an inflammatory attack against itself. Scientists believe that autoimmune diseases are caused by genes we inherit, and environmental exposures that trigger the genes to express themselves. There are at least eighty autoimmune diseases that have been identified, with more being added to the list. Different autoimmune diseases affect different parts of the body. For example type1 diabetes affects the insulin making cells in the pancreas, psoriasis affects the skin and sometimes joints, autoimmune thyroid disease affects the thyroid, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of the joints, and celiac disease affects the small intestine.

Although celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that damages part of the digestive tract, not all the signs and symptoms at first appear to be related to digestion. When a person who has celiac disease eats foods containing gluten, as found in wheat, rye, and barley, their immune system responds by attacking the small intestine, the site where most nutrient absorption takes place. Without proper absorption of nutrients, a person can eventually develop many symptoms and disorders including additional autoimmune diseases, anemia, osteoporosis, infertility, or cancer. Delaying diagnosis or consuming any gluten products will increase damaging inflammation. Celiac disease can develop at any age from infancy to adulthood.

Given that celiac disease occurs in genetically predisposed persons, a genetic test can help rule out the possibility of developing the disease. Even if a person does carry the genes that are related to celiac disease, it does not mean that they will develop the disease. Genetic variants that seem to increase the risk of celiac are found in 30 percent of the general population, but only 3 percent of persons with the gene variants develop celiac disease. Scientists believe exposure to something in the environment, and changes in other genes, may trigger the development of celiac disease.

A PubMed study found that a number of autoimmune connective tissue diseases may be associated with exposure to drugs, chemicals and environmental factors.

Living with celiac disease is not easy but can be easily improved by following the 5 following tips:

• Eliminate all toxic chemicals from your home
• Supplement your alimentation with probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis)
• Make sure your diet has enough Omega-3. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation
• Choose gluten-free personal care products (especially lipstick and lip balm)
• Take gluten-free fibre supplements to make sure you get enough prebiotics and fibres that are usually deficient in gluten-free diets

We do not have control on weather or not we carry the gene. Or any other gene for that matter. But we do control our environment and exposure to toxic chemicals that can trigger the development of autoimmune diseases like celiac, or many other severe health problems.By Sophie Gratton

The Link Between Fibromyalgia and Celiac Disease

Do you have Fibromyalgia? Are you constantly sick and tired all the time? Have you been told to live with it and that there is no cure? Could you actually have Celiac Disease and it has been undiagnosed? Is there a possibility you could find a solution to all your health problems that is a simple as a change in diet?

Fibromyalgia is a complex pain syndrome, with a multitude of different symptoms and without a single known cause. There are many symptoms. Here are some of them:

• Increased sensitivity
• Stiffness on Awakening.
• Arthritis like pain, with or without joint involvement
• Fatigue
• Un-refreshed sleep (tired on awakening)
• Sleep Disturbances
• Muscular pain
• Tendon pain
• Hormonal effects
• Headaches and Migraines
• Brain Fog
• Depression
• Exercise Intolerance
• Low immunity/ frequent infections
• Stomach/ Bowel disturbances /Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
• TMJ/ jaw pain.

Many people tend to have Fibromyalgia as a co-existing condition along with another disease. The most common of these is Rheumatoid Arthritis, but it can also exist with Lupus, or Psoriasis. However is also possible for it to exist as a stand alone disease. There is however another possibility that has been overlooked and that is the incidence of Celiac Disease that is being misdiagnosed as Fibromyalgia.

Celiac Disease is an auto-immune disease that is, the body mistakenly attacks its own tissues seeing them as a foreign substance. When a person with Celiac Disease eats any food containing gluten (the protein found in Wheat, Rye, Oats and Barley), the body reacts to those proteins found in the gluten and attacks the small finger like projections in the small intestine called villi, thus preventing absorption of food. This leads to major digestive disorders, stomach ailments, fatigue, anemia, headaches, exhaustion, and pain and fatigue.

At least 1 in 100 people have Celiac Disease but it is often missed. It is not commonly something that is checked for when someone has all the fibromyalgia symptoms, but it is worth ruling out and investigating. It is diagnosed by a blood test and by a biopsy of the small intestine during a gastroscopy. The simple treatment of it is a completely Gluten free diet.

Most often people with Fibromyalgia have digestive disorder complaints, most commonly they are told that it is caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The symptoms of this are alternating diarrhea and constipation, nausea, bloating and wind and constant fatigue. Well unsurprisingly this is also the exact symptoms of Celiac Disease! How many doctors have checked their Fibromyalgia patients for Celiac. I know I wasn't.

Since following a Gluten free diet all my symptoms of Fibromyalgia and IBS have disappeared! I am however not advocating that all Fibromyalgia is caused by Celiac Disease, but don't you think it's worth your health to rule it out.

After being sick and misdiagnosed for over 20 years, Yael finally found the cause of her constant pain, anemia, fatigue, fibromyalgia and digestive problems. When she was finally diagnosed with Celiac Disease everything changed. She was able to start her life again. There is not nearly enough awareness about this disease.By Yael Goodman

Diagnosing Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity

Celiac disease, also known as gluten sensitive enteropathy is very common but frequently missed. It is an autoimmune disease of intestinal damage due to gluten in people who are genetically predisposed. Classic Celiac disease is diagnosed by abnormal blood tests and an abnormal
appearing intestine on biopsy and symptoms that resolve with a gluten free diet.

Several blood tests exist for Celiac disease. They have varying degrees of accuracy. Some are more sensitive, meaning they will be positive in milder forms of the disease but are not specific, meaning a positive test may not indicate Celiac disease. Others are felt to be very specific, meaning that when they are positive, it is almost certain you have the disease.

The most specific tests are tests for Celiac disease endomysial antibodies (EMA) and
tissue transglutaminase antibody (tTG) tests. These two tests are IgA based tests and can be negative if you are deficient in the immunoglobin IgA, which occurs in 10-20% of people with Celiac. When either EMA or tTG are positive Celiac disease is very likely and usually the intestine biopsy is positive. Recent studies indicate that the tTG may only be positive in 40% of true Celiacs when mild degrees of intestine damage are present on biopsy. Seronegative Celiac, meaning the blood tests are negative but the biopsy is positive, may occur in up to 20% of Celiacs.

Antibodies for gliadin (AGA), the toxic fraction of gluten are considered very sensitive but not specific for Celiac disease. Newer assays for AGA antibodies for gluten that has undergone a chemical change
called deamidation appear to be more specific for Celiac disease (Gliadin II,
Inova) than the older gliadin tests. They also may be as or more accurate than EMA and tTG
antibody tests but are not yet widely available.

The most distressing problem for people with lesser forms of gluten intolerance who have blood tests and/or biopsies that are normal or borderline yet respond to a gluten free diet is either not being taken seriously or knowing for sure if they are sensitive to gluten. For these individuals stool
antibody testing for antigliadin and tTG have been helpful. Such stool testing has been performed in research labs and published in a few studies but are only recently available through the commercial lab, Enterolab. Founded by a former Baylor research gastroenterologist, Dr Ken Fine, the tests are available to people online without a doctors order but are not generally covered by insurance. Dr. Fine, who patented the test, has yet to publish the results of his findings in a peer reviewed journal so his tests are not widely accepted. However, his unpublished data and the clinical experience of some of us who have used his test have
indicated the tests are very sensitive for signs of gluten sensitivity. He reports that they are 100% sensitive for Celiac disease and highly sensitive
for gluten sensitivity of lesser degrees. In the presence of symptoms, that reverse on a gluten-free diet,
abnormal stool antibody levels can be found in most people before blood tests or biopsies become
abnormal.

Small intestine biopsies during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
are considered the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of Celiac disease.
However, recent studies have demonstrated that some people with gluten sensitivity, especially relatives of Celiacs
with little or no symptoms, have changes from gluten injury to the intestine that can not be seen with normal microscope examination. They can only be seen with special stains not routinely done or with a research electron microscope. The special stains are known as immunohistochemistry stains. They stain specialized white
blood cells called lymphocytes in the intestinal lining tips or villi. When these lymphocytes are increased it is known as intraepithelial lymphocytosis or increased IELs and it is the earliest sign
of gluten induced injury or irritation. Electron microscopy also reveals very early ultrastructural changes in some individuals when blood tests and standard biopsy examination are normal. When people who have these changes are
offered the option of a gluten-free diet they usually responded favorably. In contrast, those who continue to eat gluten often later developed classic Celiac disease.

What these studies suggest is that a "normal small intestine biopsy" may exclude
Celiac disease as defined by strict criteria but it is not a gold standard for detecting gluten sensitivity. This fact is appreciated by many individuals who have respond to a gluten-free diet they start
based on their symptoms, family history, suggestive blood test or stool antibody
test(s).

Another source of confusion is in the genetics of Celiac and gluten sensitivity.
Testing for specific blood type patterns on white blood cells known as HLA
DQ2 and DQ8 is increasingly being employed to determine if a person carries either of the two gene
pattern present in 95-98% of Celiacs and predisposing them to the development of Celiac disease. Some use the absence of these two patterns
as a way of excluding the possibility of Celiac disease and the need for testing or
gluten-free diet. However, there are rare reports of documented Celiac disease in people who are DQ2 and
DQ8 negative. Moreover, recent studies indicate other DQ
patterns may be associated with gluten sensitivity though unlikely to
predispose to classic Celiac disease.

Testing for all the DQ patterns is advocated by Dr. Fine, based on his
experience with stool antibody test results. He reports that other DQ types are
associated with elevated levels of gliadin and tTG in the stool and symptoms that respond to a gluten-free diet.
According to his unpublished data, all the DQ types except DQ4 are associated with
a risk of intolerance to gluten. Therefore, testing for all the DQ types allows a person to
determine if they carry one of the two high risk gene types for Celiac disease or
any of the other "minor DQ" genes Fine has found associated with gluten sensitivity.

Enterolab's stool testing for gliadin antibodies and tissue
transglutaminase antibodies, though not widely accepted, have gained favor in the lay
public's opinion as an option for determining sensitivity to gluten either despite negative blood tests and/or biopsies or in place of the more invasive tests. Most doctors still recommend the accepted blood tests and small
bowel biopsy for confirmation of Celiac. Though the reports in the lay community
are overwhelmingly positive they have not been subjected to peer review in
the medical community pending Dr. Fine publishing his data or other researchers reproducing his results.

However, doctors open to
the broader problem of gluten
sensitivity are reporting these tests helpful in many patients suspected of gluten
intolerance. Especially when someone has symptoms consistent with gluten sensitivity but has negative or inconclusive blood tests and/or biopsies these tests may be very helpful though some are not certain
how to interpret the tests. The national Celiac organizations are uncertain about how to
comment on their application without published research though a recent article
in the British Medical Journal did show stool tests highly specific for Celiac. Dr.
Fine has publicly commented that his unpublished data demonstrates those with
abnormal stool tests indicating gluten sensitivity
overwhelmingly respond favorably to a gluten free diet with improvement of
symptoms and general quality of life.

Another problem is that there are not universally agreed upon definitions for gluten sensitivity or intolerance. This becomes especially difficult for those who do not meet strict criteria for Celiac disease yet may have abnormal tests and/or symptoms that respond to a gluten-free diet. Those individuals become confused when they try to find information but do not have a formal diagnosis of Celiac disease. Consensus in the medical community on definitions and more research in this area is greatly needed.

The few doctors who appreciate the spectrum of gluten
intolerance or sensitivity are outnumbered by the medical majority that continue to
insist on strict criteria for diagnosis for Celiac disease before recommending a
gluten-free diet. Doctors either unfamiliar with the limitations of the tests as documented by Celiac research or who insist on the
strict criteria for Celiac being the only indication for recommending a gluten free
diet unfortunately may confuse or frustrate gluten sensitive individuals. Some of these people then seek answers on the internet or from alternative practitioners. Many have their diagnosis missed, challenged, dismissed, or are misinformed. As a result they fail to benefit from the health

By Dr. Scot Lewey