In November I attended the XII International Celiac Disease Symposium in NYC. Dr. Michelle Pietzak was very informative and helpful. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University Of Southern California Keck School Of Medicine. She is particularly helpful with children with CD and their diagnosis. I especially like this page, http://glutenfreemd.com/wheat_allergy.htm, where she talks about the difference between CD, wheat allergies and gluten intolerance and why it is important to know if you have CD.
As celiac disease/gluten intolerance are becoming more well known, some people are making self-diagnosis of the disease. Dr. Pietzak gives important information on the subject.
Hi,
The page you cite above says that Celiac’s disease is immune-mediated and identified by biopsy, while gluten intolerance is not immune-mediated and does not cause intestinal damage. Yet as I understand it from Enterolab antibody and gene testing, it is possible to have an immune reaction to gliadin, including a dangerous auto-immune reaction (anti-tissue trans-glutaminase ?), without intestinal damage. From the same source, I understand that there are genes that predispose for Celiac’s, and separately genes that predispose to a form of gluten intolerance that is immune-mediated but is not Celiac’s. In short, the Enterolab information discusses both Celiac and non-Celiac gluten intolerance, both immune mediated, contradicting the classification in the page you cite.
Neal
Thanks, Neal. I will look into the matter further. I thought it made an important point that it is necessary to be tested to find out what you have as opposed to diagnosing yourself and beginning a gluten-free diet on your own, before you have an official diagnosis.
Thanks. I don’t know if Enterolab is right. Here’s a link to a related FAQ at their site:
https://www.enterolab.com/StaticPages/Frame_Faq.htm#biopsies
Also, in the interpretations of their genetic tests that enterolab sends out, they suggest there are genes predisposing to Celiac and non-Celiac (immune-mediated) gluten sensitivity:
“the main genes predisposing to celiac sprue [are] (HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8),
…. genotype[s] that predispose to gluten sensitivity [include] either HLA-DQB1*03xx (HLA-DQ3, not 0302), or any HLA-DQB1*05xx or any HLA-DQB1*06xx (HLA-DQ1).”
It sure seems difficult to get definitive information about this topic. Thanks again!
Neal