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Urinary Stone Disease in Adults with Celiac Disease

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

For adults with Celiac Disease or other intestinal diseases, one of the things that you are at high risk for is Urinary Stone Disease (USD). I just noticed that recently a study was done on adults with USD and Celiac Disease, which was documented over at Jurology.

For their study, they took patients who were 18 years or older, untreated, and also newly diagnosed with celiac disease by serum markers and jejunal biopsy.  Clinical presentation of celiac disease was assessed focusing on 5 disorders of diarrhea, and deficiency of calories (low body mass index or weight loss), lipid (low prothrombin time or low serum lipids), iron (low hemoglobin or low serum ferritin), and calcium (low serum calcium or low bone densitometry). Urinary stone disease history was also assessed via questionnaire (imaging, stone excretion, stone disruption/removal), and urinary variables were measured in a 24-hour collection in a subgroup of patients.

Here is an excerpt of their findings:

Study Results

Under untreated conditions (baseline) urinary stone disease was independent of celiac disease presentation and more prevalent in patients with celiac disease than in a population sample used as a control (608 and 3,540, 7.9% and 5.0%, sex and age adjusted odds ratio 4.0, 95% CI 2.7–5.9). Excluding from analysis individuals with baseline urinary stone disease, the incidence of urinary stone disease history was not significantly different between the treated celiac disease (gluten-free diet) and control population (458 and 3,003, 2.4% vs 3.9%). The urine of untreated patients with celiac disease differed from that of healthy volunteers with 120% higher oxalate and 43% lower calcium (in 45 and 45, p <0.001). A gluten-free diet corrected urinary abnormalities (p <0.01).

If you’d like to learn more, click over to read the rest of their post!

What are the Symptoms of Celiac Disease?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Worried you might have Celiac Disease? Unlike many other diseases, food allergies, and/or food intolerances, Celiac Disease does not have a few standard symptoms you can easily look for. That is why it often takes an average of 5 years before receiving a correct celiac diagnosis.

Currently, there are two ways to know that you have Celiac Disease. The first and recommended method is to talk to your doctor about getting tested (which usually involves a simple blood test and/or an endoscopy). The second option is the new Celiac Home Test Kit, which allows anyone to take the initial blood test from home, then consult their doctor with the results.

With that said, you may be wondering what symptoms you should be experiencing before discussing the possibility of Celiac with your doctor. Here is some general information about Celiac Disease symptoms that you will hopefully find useful.

Adult Celiac Disease Symptoms

Celiac Disease may appear at any time in a person’s life. In fact, recent studies support that it may even be more common in the elderly, or anyone that has experienced a life-altering event. The disease can also be triggered for the first time after surgery, a simple viral infection, severe emotional stress, pregnancy, or childbirth.

Celiac Disease is a multi-system, multi-symptom disorder and symptoms in adults are extremely varied. Symptoms can even mimic other bowel disorders and are not always gastrointestinal. (For example, adults with Celiac Disease are often originally misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome prior to receiving a correct diagnosis.)

Children’s Celiac Disease Symptoms

Infants, toddlers, and young children most commonly exhibit growth failure, vomiting, a bloated abdomen, and behavioral changes.

General Symptoms of Celiac Disease May Include One or More of the Following:

  • Recurring bloating, gas, or abdominal pain
  • Chronic diarrhea or constipation or both
  • Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
  • Pale, foul-smelling stool
  • Unexplained anemia
  • Bone or joint pain
  • Behavior changes/depression/irritability
  • Vitamin K Deficiency
  • Fatigue, weakness or lack of energy
  • Delayed growth or onset of puberty
  • Failure to thrive (in infants)
  • Missed menstrual periods
  • Infertility male & female
  • Spontaneous miscarriages
  • Canker sores inside the mouth
  • Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel

In addition to the above symptoms, there are also a few situations where a child should be tested for Celiac Disease:

Have You or a Family Member Been Diagnosed With the Following?

  • Type 1 Diabetes
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Fibromyalgia
  • IBS
  • Eczema
  • Sjogren’s Syndrome
  • Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Thyroid Disease
  • Osteoporosis
  • Dermatitis Herpetiformis (see below)

Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH) Skin Rash

Dermatitis Herpetiformis is the skin manifestation of celiac disease characterized by blistering and intensely itchy skin. The rash has a symmetrical distribution and is most frequently found on the face, elbows, knees, and buttocks. DH patients can also have gastrointestinal damage without perceptible symptoms. If you believe you may have DH, please consult your doctor about being tested for Celiac Disease.

What are the Causes of Celiac Disease?

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The cause of Celiac Disease (also known as celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is currently unknown, however, research indicates that Celiac Disease is strongly associated with a group of genes on Chromosome 6.  These genes (HLA class II) are involved in the regulation of the body’s immune response to gluten protein fractions.

Recent studies have shown that an amazing 1 out of 133 people in the United States suffers from Celiac Disease!  Studies have also shown that Celiac occurs in 5-15% of the offspring and siblings of a person with Celiac Disease.  Research also suggests that in 70% of identical twins, both twins have the disease. It is strongly suggested that family members be tested, even if asymptomatic. Family members who have an autoimmune disease are at a 25% increased risk of having Celiac Disease.

For additional information, check out our Celiac Information page!

Celiacs Need to Know About the Hepatitis B Vaccine

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Based upon the nature of Celiac Disease and its relationship with the immune system, it seems that some people with Celiac Disease are not adequately protected by the Hepatitis B vaccine.  Here is an excerpt from About.com’s post:

When you receive the hepatitis B vaccine series, your immune system is supposed to respond by producing antibodies to the hepatitis B virus. In addition, some of the immune cells that are involved in the body’s response to the vaccine become what’s known as “memory cells.” Many studies have shown, however, that in patients with celiac disease, the vaccine does not always produce adequate (or “protective”) levels of antibodies or memory cells.

Click over to check out the rest of the post.

What is Celiac Disease?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Though the term is fairly new, more and more people are being exposed to Celiac Disease every day, either through a diagnosis or through a friend and family member that has this disease.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are wanting to learn more about this disease and how to live with it, you are in the right place!  Gluten-Free Resource provides news, resources, recipes, and hopefully everything else you need to live a gluten-free lifestyle or support someone in your life that needs to.

So, what exactly is Celiac Disease? According to Wikipedia:

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy. Symptoms include chronic diarrhoea, failure to thrive (in children) and fatigue, but these may be absent and symptoms in all other organ systems have been described. It is estimated to affect about 1% of Indo-European populations, but is thought to be significantly underdiagnosed. A growing portion of diagnoses are being made in asymptomatic persons as a result of increasing screening.[1]

Coeliac disease is caused by a reaction to gliadin, a gluten protein found in wheat (and similar proteins of the tribe Triticeae which includes other cultivars such as barley and rye). Upon exposure to gliadin, the enzyme tissue transglutaminase modifies the protein, and the immune system cross-reacts with the bowel tissue, causing an inflammatory reaction. That leads to flattening of the lining of the small intestine, which interferes with the absorption of nutrients. The only effective treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet. While the disease is caused by a reaction to wheat proteins, it is not the same as wheat allergy.

If you have been diagnosed with this disease, you will need to begin by switching over to a gluten-free diet. The diet is zero tolerance, and making the transition can be difficult, this site (along with several others) is here to help!