[caek_is_a_lie]

I recently read that Celiac is known to cause secondary autoimmune disorders and allergies. I have Narcolepsy that is triggered by gluten, but I also have some lingering Narcolepsy symptoms on a gluten-free diet that seem to be from permanent damage.

I found out I have a Celiac haplotype DRB1*07-DQB1*0202 and I also have a Narcolepsy/Celiac gene DQB1*0301. Since gluten triggers most of my symptoms and I have what's considered 'atypical' cataplexy (ie: 'spontaneous' several days after ingesting gluten) in addition to classic cataplexy triggers like laughing, which isn't as severe, I figure my Narcolepsy is secondary with some minor permanent damage from the Celiac.

I'm going to run it by my doctor next time I go in. I did tons of research on it...it was fun!

[mattathayde]

this is interesting, i am convinced both my parents have celiac disease and now seeing this it adds to my argument for my father even more

-matt

[mommida]

Have you run accross any statistic of Celiacs that are Narcoleptic? Do you think anyone diagnosed with narcolepsy should be tested for Celiac?

[caek_is_a_lie]

There are no official stats on it, which is something I'd like to do myself in grad school, but from what I've seen on forums and from an informal poll I did, there are a lot of people with Narcolepsy that could benefit. The Narcolepsy genes have also been found to be Celiac genes. IMHO it would be beneficial to screen all Narcolepsy patients for Celiac, although a blood test might not catch it if the transglutaminase is primarily in the CSF.