Celiac Disease is an inheritable condition. The action of the gluten will most certainly affect the joints and can lead to Rheumatoid arthritis. Personally, I would eliminate the gluten from my child's diet. It certainly won't hurt her and it might help. She doesn't even have to know about it. Just get her gluten free snacks and, if she HAS to have hot dogs, Hebrew International has a gluten free one. Just make it a hot dog without the bun. A week or two will tell the truth. Good luck. It is very frightening to have a child with symptoms of any kind. Yvonne

I'm in a fairly close boat to you diagnosis wise. I run an orthopedic group on yahoo about one condition. There was a bug going around that was causing some swelling in joints and an increase in synovial fluid. But what you describe doesn't quite fit. I have learned auto immune issues can result from one allergy. At her age I would ask for as many tests as needed to find the answers. Swelling in the joints can lead to AVN in some cases. Her hips could experience this and you wouldn't know it until damage started. Some arthritis issues are auto immune. Worth digging into further with the doctor.

Yes this could be related. There is one gene for celiac, DQ 3 that is considered a gene for RA here in the US. It can give us problems that are joint related. I suffered from this for many years and am now in complete remission from all my RA symptoms and although the joint damage remains the progress of the disease and the pain is in total remission now for 5 years.

I believe Gluten Intolerance has been associated with rheumatoid arthritis.I am wondering if this is related to the swelling?

Carla, Sorry to hear about your little daughter. I suffer from Celiac issues. We are amazed at what it is doing to our digestive system day after day. Happy Healthy Living+

Hello: I am just going to interject what I have found out from my own problems. I have had an EGD and a colonoscopy with biopsies. They are unable to rule out celiac disease. I have been diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis. I have had ankle swelling on and off for some time. I am on a gluten free diet and it has helped the swelling. The theory is that because of the malabsorption in the intestinal tract, the albumin and protein in the system is malabsorbed consequently causing the swelling. When I have my blood work done, my albumin and protein are well below the range in which they should fall. I hope this helps you somewhat.

Have you had your daughter tested at Enterolab? She has to be ingesting gluten to test positive, I think...check out the site. Read FAQ and their testimonials, plus how this Dr. came up with this most helpful test. It is easy to take, but some insurance will not cover it. Their tests tell if you have the genes, gluten sensitivity or celiac disease and autoimmune reaction going on. Without these tests I wouldn't be getting well. I do not test positive any other way, and was very sick for over 15 years and no specialist could find a reason. I found out that it was gluten, dairy and soy intolerance. I think these tests are worth their weight in gold. Out of 6 tested in our family, all 6 had the genes and 5 had active autoimmune reaction going on and are gluten, dairy and 4 are soy intolerant. My joint and intestinal symptoms are cleared up from eliminating these from my diet. It has been almost a year of trying to be 100% free of these allergies. My Nutritionist said the heart attack was caused by inflammation from these sensitivities. The bone loss has stopped with Vitamin D and probiotics added to my diet. I had this problem for 66 years, and never knew...don't take a chance she will suffer that long if she has inherited genes like we have. Hope you find the answers and this helps. God bless you! P.S. I have run into MANY doctors who are not knowledgeable about this and discount or worse tell me it is not valid...THEY WERE WRONG! I can't wait years for them to figure out what many good Dr.'s know about this NOW!!

Does anyone know the effects of using a face moisturizer with wheat gluten among oats and barley as well? Seems like it would have the same reaction but just wondered if anyone has had the experience.

I am also a Canadian and a celiac. I was diagnosed by means of a biopsy 10 years ago after 12 years of innumerable tests and diagnoses. If you stop the gluten before being diagnosed they will not be able to prove if you really are celiac. I would suggest that you contact the Canadian Celiac Association. The address in your area can be reached by contacting www.celiac.ca Hope you are able to get helpful results. Many doctors are not familiar with celiac. Good luck.

I had swelling in my left foot for 2 years before I found out that I am Gluten Sensitive (Celiac) through an elimination diet. My doctor put me through a battery of tests. My feet should swell until I could not even get my shoes on at times. I also had abdominal bloating and a chronic iron deficiency that was consistent over the years. My fitness trainer brought it to my attention that that the size of my abdomen which must have also been swollen changed from day to day and he recommended that it was dietary related. After I eliminated gluten from my diet completely I noticed that the swelling slowly reduced and within a month I realized that when ever I made a mistake and ate some thing with gluten in it, or prepared in the same oil I started to experience bloating and swelling among other things. I thank God for all of the information that I have found on the web, my Doctor didn't help, my symptoms were not severe enough. I was tested for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. but I never suspected gluten. As a matter of fact I had never heard of it!

I have recently been diagnosed with Celiac disease. For 2 years I struggled with joint pain. I was thought by doctors to have arthritis, athletic injuries, etc, etc, etc. No one ever thought to test me for Celiac because I had no bowel symptoms. Finally, my pain took me to a rhumatologist at the Mayo Clinic who asked me a million questions and tested me. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to talk to your child's pediatrician. It will make you feel better. Good luck!

Carla, I think it's very important that you get your daughter to a rhematologist right away. Ask him to check her for lyme disease, lupus, celiac disease, and anything else he can think of that can cause joint swelling. Even infectious hepatitis can cause autoimmune arthritis in a young person. There are just so many possibilities that you need to enlist the help of a rheumatologist for this one! ASAP, please!

I have heard and read that wheat retains fluid in the body and can cause edema. In "Dangerous Grains" Braly and Hoggan talk about autoimmune diseases (arthritis) being caused by gluten. In addition to being gluten-free, I have recently discovered that dairy makes me very stiff after sitting for a while. Do not be happy with blood test results that are negative as the TTG and EMA are designed to pick up end stage gluten intolerance which is celiac disease. Your child may only be gluten intolerant and not bad enough to test positive on blood tests of which there are 4 she should have (read the DG book or contact the Celiac Disease Foundation for the 4 blood tests. If negative do the celiac disease panel at enterolab.com (or at least the antigliadin test). You can also do dairy, egg, soy and yeast intolerance tests at enterolab. Find out if gluten intolerant. An absolute gluten-free diet may be the answer...if still having problems start with the dairy intolerance test. I know a woman whose leg and hand pain has subsided on a gluten-free diet; I think she used to have some swelling also. Best wishes

For about 15 years I suffered from pain in my joints , mostly in the hips , knees, back and ankles. Foods like pizza would make feel like I had "flu-like" symptoms. I was treated with anti-inflammatory for years. The gluten free diet cured the pain and the swelling.

My family is all gluten intolerant and joint and swelling was a common issue in the past. You might want to look into oxalates as a possible cause. An Organic Acid Test might be a good place to start, followed by a lower oxalate diet. Folks with digestive issues are sometimes prone to excess oxalates that can cause all types of issues, from joint pain, kidney and even neurological problems. Its worth consideration.

I agree with doing the tests through enterolab.com- and strongly recommend the genetic testing. Blood tests give too many false negatives. Gluten sensitivity of any dimension causes different medical problems in different people. Good luck !

Hi am 34 and have had celiac disease since I was 18 months old I find my stomach always looks swollen I have always looked ok every where else but every body always asks me am I having a baby so I started to stick to my gluten free diet and the swelling is reducing a little at a time.

There is wheat in hot dogs, unless you go organic. Processed luncheon meats (bologna, etc.) have wheat also. I have abdominal swelling, ankle and foot swelling, and I KNOW it's from gluten intolerance.

Thanks to all the people who took the time to post their input. The information is helpful in our journey. Blessings :)