Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com!
    eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Record is Archived

    This article is now archived and is closed to further replies.

    Scott Adams
    Scott Adams

    No Connection between Celiac Disease and Schizophrenia?

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Eur Psychiatry. 2004 Aug;19(5):311-4.

    Celiac.com 09/12/2004 - Israeli researchers conducted a study designed to determine whether or not an association exists between celiac disease and schizophrenia. Open Original Shared Link have indicated that such a connection may exist. The researchers screened 50 consecutive patients over 18 years old who were diagnosed with schizophrenia and their matched controls for celiac-specific anti-endomysial IgA antibodies. All patients also completed a detailed questionnaire. There were no significant differences between the groups in gender, Body Mass Index (BMI) or country of birth, and the mean age of the study group was significantly higher than the controls. All tests for anti-endomysial antibodies in both groups were negative, and the researchers concluded that "In contrast to previous reports, we found no evidence for celiac disease in patients with chronic schizophrenia as manifested by the presence of serum IgA anti-endomysial antibodies. It is unlikely that there is an association between gluten sensitivity and schizophrenia"

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    Celiac.com Comments on this Study:

    This was a relatively small study that did not include other celiac disease screening methods, such as IgG (antigliadin antibody), tTG (tissue Transglutaminase), or intestinal biopsies. Open Original Shared Link has shown that only 77% of those with total and 33% of those with partial villous atrophy actually have positive blood tests for celiac disease, so many cases of celiac disease may be missed by using only blood tests to screen for it. Further, about 4% of celiacs are anti-endomysial IgA deficient, so anyone in this subclass would have been missed in the study. Given such a small number of people in the study--50--if even one celiac were missed it would greatly affect the outcome of the study. Both groups should have been given much more comprehensive celiac disease screening to ensure that no cases of celiac disease were missed.

    In the article by Dr. Hadjivassiliou titled Gluten Sensitivity as a Neurological Illness he says:

    The introduction of more celiac disease specific serological markers such as anti-endomysium and more recently transglutaminase antibodies may have helped in diagnosing celiac disease but their sensitivity as markers of other manifestations of gluten sensitivity (where the bowel is not affected) is low. This certainly reflects our experience with patients with gluten sensitivity who present with neurological dysfunction. Endomysium and transglutaminase antibodies are only positive in the majority but not in all patients who have an enteropathy. Patients with an enteropathy represent only a third of patients with neurological manifestations and gluten sensitivity. Antigliadin antibodies unlike endomysium and transglutaminase antibodies are not autoantibodies. They are antibodies against the protein responsible for gluten sensitivity.

    Only one third of the patients with neurological disorders associated with gluten sensitivity have villous atrophy on duodenal biopsy. Even some with biochemical markers of malabsorption such as low serum vitamin B12, low red cell folate, or vitamin D concentrations had normal conventional duodenal histology. These cases may illustrate the patchy nature of bowel involvement in coeliac disease and the inaccurate interpretation of duodenal biopsies by inexperienced histopathologists. Preliminary data based on staining of the subpopulation of T cells in the small bowel epithelium suggests that these patients have potential celiac disease. There are, however, patients where the immunological disorder is primarily directed at the nervous system with little or no damage to the gut. Our practice is to offer a gluten-free diet to these patients unless the HLA genotype is not consistent with susceptibility to gluten intolerance (that is, other than HLA DQ2, DQ8, or DQ1). All patients are followed up and any clinical response is documented.



    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Guest Chris

    You should have done an IgG test instead.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Guest
    This is now closed for further comments

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate
  • About Me

    Scott Adams

    Scott Adams was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1994, and, due to the nearly total lack of information available at that time, was forced to become an expert on the disease in order to recover. In 1995 he launched the site that later became Celiac.com to help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives.  He is co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of the (formerly paper) newsletter Journal of Gluten Sensitivity. In 1998 he founded The Gluten-Free Mall which he sold in 2014. Celiac.com does not sell any products, and is 100% advertiser supported.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Related Articles

    Scott Adams
    The following was written by Dr. Kalle Reichelt who is a leading celiac disease researcher at the Pediatric Research Institute in Oslo, Norway. Please direct any questions regarding this article to him at: Open Original Shared Link
    What most people ignore is that both peptides and trace (biologically significant amounts) amounts of proteins are taken up across the gut mucosa (1,2). Because one molecule of gluten contains at least 15 opioid sequences it is quite clear that this could cause a problem. Increased peptide excretion is found in the urine of celiacs before treatment (3) (Reichelt et al in prep). This is confirmed by a series of papers that demonstrate intact food proteins in mothers milk (4-7). A Canadian group has confirmed that gluten does change a brain enzyme...


    Scott Adams
    Celiac.com 09/01/2002 - Patients with celiac disease are 20 times more likely than the general population to have epilepsy and often have associated cerebral and cerebellar calcifications imaged by CT and MRI. Depression, dementia, and schizophrenia are all also common in persons with untreated celiac disease. Cerebellar degeneration with resulting ataxia (gluten-associated ataxia) is a known entity in Europe, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is currently recruiting subjects with ataxia to examine them for gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. Focal white matter lesions in the brain recently have been reported to occur in children with celiac disease and are thought to be either ischemic in origin as a result of vasculitis or caused by inflammatory demyelination. Parents...


    Scott Adams
    BMJ 2004;328:438-439 (21 February) Celiac.com 02/27/2004 – The following report is interesting, but I believe that serological studies done on those with schizophrenia would be a far better way to conduct such a study. Also, the use of such a small control group cannot accurately predict the actual incidence of schizophrenia in those with celiac disease. –Scott Adams
    According to a Danish study published in the British Medical Journal, people with celiac disease may have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia. Previous studies have also suggested an association between these two disorders. The study identified 7,997 people over age 15 who were admitted to a Danish psychiatric unit for the first time between 1981 and 1998 and were diagnosed with schizophrenia. The res...


    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 01/23/2013 - Can going gluten-free bring about a major improvement in mental health for some children?
    This question is addressed in recent Open Original Shared Link. In the article, Lochner talks about the challenges she faced in trying to raise her daughter who, for the first couple of years, seemed to become more and more emotionally volatile and unstable, even while her daughter's twin brother seemed just fine.
    Lochner details her trips to multiple pediatricians and behavioral therapists in an effort to get an answer for her daughter's behavior.
    Initially, the behavioral therapists pretty much dismissed her concerns and, when Lochner asked what she could do to calm her daughter down, told her to “Try distracting her…Give her a toy that makes noise. Or sit her down...


  • Recent Activity

    1. - dixonpete commented on dixonpete's blog entry in Pete Dixon
      1

      I started another couple of jars today

    2. - trents replied to Bayb's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Trying to read my lab results

    3. - Bayb posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Trying to read my lab results

    4. - Aussienae replied to Aussienae's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      63

      Constant low back, abdominal and pelvic pain!

    5. - ButWhatCanIEat replied to Aussienae's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      63

      Constant low back, abdominal and pelvic pain!


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      121,212
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Sue Barnett
    Newest Member
    Sue Barnett
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Popular Now

    • Kmd2024
      5
    • Nicola flaherty
      4
    • ItchyHell
      4
    • MMH13
      20
    • SuzanneL
      13
  • Popular Articles

    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
  • Upcoming Events

×
×
  • Create New...