Celiac Home Test

Study Links Celiac Disease and Multiple Sclerosis

A new study led by researchers in Spain has found that celiac disease can strongly affect people with multiple sclerosis. 

The study's lead author--Luis Rodrigo, MD, from the Gastroenterology Service, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, in Oviedo, Spain--says that, "We have found a prevalence of celiac disease among MS patients that is 5 to 10 times higher compared with the general population all over the world, which is between 1% and 2%." 

Additionally, the study showed that patients diagnosed with both multiple sclerosis and celiac disease who began to follow a strict gluten-free diet, saw improvements in both their digestive and neurological symptoms. 

The researchers suggest that the main point coming out of the study is that doctors who treat MS patients shouldperform clinical, serological, genetic, and histologic studies directed to find a possible association with celiac. 

To read more about the link between celiac and MS, please visit:  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/738740?src=emailthis

New Study Documents Differences Between Celiac and Gluten Sensitivity

A new study from the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research finds that gluten sensitivity is differnet from celiac disease at the molecular level and in the response it elicits from the immune system. 

The latest study, which was published in the journal BMC Medicine, was led by Celiac Disase Expert Dr. Alessio Fasano and documents the genes and pathways that are potentially associated with gluten sensitivity. 

To read more about the study and findings, please visit: http://somvweb.som.umaryland.edu/absolutenm/templates/?a=1474&z=5

Celiac Disease Management in Adults

Check out this great report from The Clinical Advisor about diagnosis management of celiac disease in adults.

These guidelines provide basic information about celiac disease diagnosis, as well as look at how several autoimmune conditions such as infertility, osteoporosis and anemia are all linked to celiac and could indicate that you need to be screened. 

To read more about celiac diesase, how it's diagnosed, related conditions and management of the condition, please visit: http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/diagnosis-and-management-of-celiac-disease-in-adults/article/197626/ 

ABC News Features Gluten-Free Diet Segment

Celiac Disease Could Cause Hypothyroidism in Elderly

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have found that as people get older, the amount of people being diagnosed with celiac disease has increased and that the prevalence of celiac disease in the elderly population is nearly two and a half times higher than the general population. 

As Alessio Fasano, Director of the University of Maryland's Mucosal Biology Research Center puts it in a quote given to EndocrineWeb.com, "You're never too old to develop celiac disease."  Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder that can affect the pancreas, which increases the risk of diabetes, the thyroid gland, and the nervous system. 

The study found that people with celiac have a more than four times increased risk of developing hyperthyroidism especially in elderly patients.  To read more about celiac disease in the elderly go to: http://www.endocrineweb.com/news/hypothyroidism/2357-research-shows-celiac-disease-increasingly-causes-hypothyroidism-elderly

 

Celiac Disease Not Linked to Male Infertility

Men with celiac disease are no more likely to suffer from infertility than those without, suggests a new study from Sweden.  While the study, which was published in the journal of Fertility and Sterility, followed only Swedish men and can therefore not be generalized world-wide; researcher Dr. Jonas Ludvigsson says that the sheer number of men studied make the results convincing. 

This is good news for the men, however celiac is still strongly linked to infertility in women, especially those who suffer from mal-nutrition due to not yet receiving a diagnosis.  Dr. Eyal Sheiner, who studies celiac disease at Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, said that when women with celiac disease are untreated, they start menstruating later and hit menopause earlier than other women. 

Additionally, Dr. Sheiner told Reuters Health in an email, "several studies have found that celiac women who do achieve fertilization, often have higher chances of miscarriages" and poor growth of the fetus. 

To read more about Celiac and infertility go to: http://www.sciencemagnews.com/no-link-between-celiac-disease-male-infertility.html

Better Celiac Tests Have No Affect on Death Rates

One would expect that higher quality and more available blood tests and the fact that diagnosis of Celiac disease has increased dramatically would significantly drop death rates.  Hypothetically an earlier start to the gluten-free diet should prevent other health risks associated with celiac disease from developing.  Right?

Wrong.  A study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that people diagnosed with celiac disease since 2000 have a similar mortality risk as those diagnosed earlier despite the introduction of serological tests.  Furthermore, Dr. Matthew J Grainge, a researcher at the University of Nottingham found that people with celiac disease have a 37% increase in all-cause mortality compared with the general population. 

To read more about Celiac disease and mortality, please visit: 

http://www.celiac.com/articles/22453/1/Better-Celiac-Diagnosis-Has-No-Impact-On-Death-Rates/Page1.html

Tax Time: Can You Add Up Those Gluten-Free Expenses?

Come tax time many people don't make the effort to claim their medical expenses because they figure it's not worth it: All that math to figure out if the expenses equal more than 3% of their net income or $2,024 dollars (whichever is lower) and then  you have to keep all of your receipts in a drawer for the entire year until you finally take the time to sort them out for the IRS. 

Painful though it sounds, this money can add up and make it well worth your while to go through the annoying process.  For example if you are keeping a gluten-free diet can claim the higher cost of gluten free products IF a doctor prescribes them.  So the difference in money between a gluten-free and a comparable non-gluten free product can actually be a tax break come April 15. 

Over the years, tax rules have grown to include more than 400 separate tax credits and deductions across the country that can significantly reduce the amount of tax individuals pay. Many people miss out on the medical expenses tax break because they’re just unaware of the vast array of expenses that qualify. 

To read more about how to use medical expenses to your advantage go to: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/02/25/f-tax-health-expenses.html . And, be sure to talk to your accountant to make sure you've done it all correctly. 

California Officially Designates May as Celiac Disease Awareness Month

This month, California State Senator, Bob Huff, introduced state senate resolution #SCR7, designating May 2011 as Celiac Disease Awareness Month in California!  Although May is already internationally recognized as Celiac Awareness month, only New York, North Carolina and Ohio have passed their own state resolutions.  And now, we can officially add California to that list! 

The strong efforts of the gluten free community in California show that it only takes a little bit of determination to affect real change in awareness of Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance on a broad state level.  Now go and see what you can do in your home state!!