In 1994 I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which led me to create Celiac.com in 1995. I created this site for a single purpose: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed and living happy, healthy gluten-free lives. Celiac.com was the first site on the Internet dedicated solely to celiac disease, and since then it has become an invaluable resource to people worldwide who seek information about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. In 1998 I created The Gluten-Free Mall, Your Special Diet Superstore! which was also another Internet first—it was the first gluten-free food site to offer a shopping cart-style interface, and the ability for people to order gluten-free products manufactured by many different companies at a single Web site.
Lancet 2000;356:399-400.
(Celiac.com 08/13/2000) According to a recent study by Dr. Antonio Gasbarrini and colleagues from Gemelli Hospital, Catholic University, in Rome, celiac disease may play a role in recurrent spontaneous abortion and intrauterine fetal growth retardation. The researchers studied 44 patients who had a history of spontaneous abortion, 39 patients who had fetuses with intrauterine growth retardation and 50 normal controls. For each group the researchers measured serum concentrations of IgA anti-endomysial and IgG anti-transglutaminase.
According to Dr. Antonio
Gasbarrini: The patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion and
those with intrauterine fetal growth retardation had a significantly higher
frequency of serological markers of celiac disease than controls,
as reported in the July 29th issue of The Lancet. Further, they found
that three patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (8%) and six patients
whose fetuses had growth retardation (15%) tested positive for celiac
disease. In addition, nine of the patients also underwent an endoscopy
(jejunal biopsy), and eight were positive for celiac disease. Of the positive
endoscopy group three patients showed duodenal mucosa with chronic
inflammation and
subtotal villous atrophy and five patients presented with severe mucosal
atrophy.
The researchers also
point out that while about 1 in 1000 people in Europe have some symptomatic
gluten-sensitivity, it is now becoming clear that a greater proportion
of individuals have a clinically silent form of the
disease, and probably many others have a minor form of enteropathy.
Their research shows that it is important to recognize celiac disease
as a possible risk factor for recurrent spontaneous abortion and intrauterine
fetal growth retardation, but it remains to be seen whether the removal
of gluten from the diet will decrease the incidence of both problems for
women with celiac disease.