Is There Anything I Can Do To Prevent My Son From

[Killarney]

I'm 30 years old and was just diagnosed with celiac disease via blood test (endoscopy on Tuesday).

I have read that there is often a genetic link with celiac disease. No one else in my family has it (that they know about).

I have a 2 year old son. Is there anything I can do to prevent him from getting this? Should I make sure he doesn't get over-exposed to wheat? Should I limit gluten in his diet? I know it can already be in his genes right now and there's nothing I can do about that, but is there anything I can do about it "coming out" like it has in me?

Thanks.

[hthorvald]

I wouldn't do anything until/if he shows symptoms. There is so much value in grains for those who can eat it that I wouldn't eliminate it just in case. But, that's my opinion. It might be easier for you if you switch the whole family to your diet for simplicity's sake. I'd talk with your doctor about it.

Good luck.

H.

[kabowman]

I have two sons, one is showing symptoms of celiac disease, the other has no apparent problems and we are waiting for test results on the one - I would either test or wait. I think the odds are 1 in 20 that he will have, relatively speaking, that means there is a 19 out of 20 chance he will NOT.

-Kate

[plantime]

If I were you, I would wait. Keep watching him closely for signs of celiac disease. I have three kids, two are teens and one in her 20s. I know that I have it, and I have told my teens, so we just watch them. There is a good chance that they inherited their dad's part, which is no celiac disease. They are aware of the possibility that they could get it, so I try to show them how good and yummy gluten-free food is. My oldest one refuses to speak to me, so I am not able to tell her. The sad part is that she has shown adverse reactions to wheat, so she might have celiac disease. Just keep observing your child.

[3boyzmom]

It is a dliemma... what do you do when you KNOW someone may have the genetic predisposition for gluten intolerance.

I am facing that right now as 1 of my 4 children has developed a gluten intolerance.

What do I do about the other three? Be retroactive and wait for symptoms before treating or be proactive and preventative and not give cause for the disease to develop.

I have chosen to allow my 6 year old, who shows no apparent signs of gluten intolerance to continue to eat small amounts of gluten. He is 80% gluten free because it is easier to maintain a gluten-free household and make all meals without gluten

I have also chosen to keep my 2 year old and my 7 month old gluten free, for now. I am afraid of a repeat of happened to my 4 year old. I have decided to wait until they are old enough to verbally let me know of any adverse effects of gluten on their digestive or neurological systems. And then at that point I will try to monitor their antibody levels yearly for any significant changes.

These are the questions I faced and the decision I came to.

I wish you good luck in your process of deciding what to do. Ultimately it is a very personal choice you will have to make. One that you will feel comfortable keeping and living with.

It reminds me of those who are able to screen for the gene related to breast cancer. There are those who take a wait and see approach and regualrly screen for the possibility of lumps... and there are those who choose to have their breasts removed to eliminate all possibility of developing cancer. There is nothing wrong with either paths... just a difference in how one can tolerate the not knowing.

If you keep your daughter on gluten then I would recommend yearly blood tests to screen for the levels of anti-bodies to gliadin. If they start going up, or are elevated... then you would have cause for alarm, if they are normal and negligible, then there would be no need to worry.

Just my humble opinion. God bless and good luck!

Priscilla

[tarnalberry]

I intend to take a wait and see approach. I will be gluten-free, so the first few months of our kids life (we're talking a number of years from now for a child!) will be gluten-free. I indend to introduce gluten foods judiciously, but won't have him/her gluten-free until I have a reason to suspect that they need to be.

[lovegrov]

There's nothing you can do to prevent it. If he's going to get celiac disease he's going to get it. I've heard of people keeping their kids from eating gluten but not only do I think that's unnecessary, I also have a vague memory of some research that indicated it MIGHT actually make them more likely to get celiac disease.

However, the standard advice now is that all first-degree relatives should have the blood tests, even if they don't have symptoms. My father had no symptoms and had positive blood tests and biopsy. His villi were pretty damaged but no symptoms. My brother, sister, mother, and two children were also symptomless but they got tested and were negative. You might wait a while on your son, but eventually he should have the blood tests.

richard