Modern Medicine's Perspective on John F. Kennedy: Did he have Celiac Disease?

I wish Bill Clinton would say Celiac disease instead of wheat allergy!

Certainly sounds plausible. Just imagine how much public knowledge and medical research would have been advanced during his presidency if he had been diagnosed. I think of the fictional president Bartlett on the TV show West Wing, whose diagnosis with MS led to public awareness of the disease...

If a sample of President Kennedy's DNA could be tested, a definite diagnosis could be discovered. This could benefit his family and others. I would be amazed if testing occurred AND made public.

Universal testing / screening is the key. The issue is that doctors and medical facilities are failing to test.

If we wide-polled patients following an annual physical, I think it would be evident that there are Celiac symptoms and no Celiac testing, consistently.

True, people in the public eye bring media attention and some awareness.

But when testing is always part of a physical exam, then we will see resolution of the 97% missed diagnosis - and changes to some of our most prevalent serious health issues.

There are other diseases for which we do not wait for obvious symptoms. Celiac should be entered into this category.

WOW imagine how many more people would learn about celiac if a former president had it!!

With more information like this out there we may get more research into celiac and gluten intolerance. Now to get doctors to realize that non-celiac gluten intolerance is real, and the diet is the proof of it's importance.

Interesting article, and it's entirely possible of course. Do note thought that uncontrolled/under-treated Addison's Disease can also cause similar symptoms.

My comment to the first poster:

Why do you assume that Clinton has Celiac Disease? He may really have a wheat allergy.

I have Celiac (bloodwork and biopsy proven) as well as anaphylaxis (like a peanut allergy) to wheat.

People (including adults) can and do develop severe and sometimes life-threatening allergies to wheat. This is an entirely different thing from Celiac Disease.

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease. Wheat allergies are IgE mediated food allergies. Think of peanut allergies...same sort of thing...but to wheat.

I honestly don't know what Clinton suffers from...but I wouldn't automatically assume Celiac...

People with Celiac have to remember that not *everything* is Celiac...

Since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease I look at people's body stature, I have often wondered if Jackie Kennedy had Celiac Disease. I read somewhere where her cause of death was intestinal non-Hodgkin's Disease.

In 2002 I thought the connection was interesting, but Mr. Adams who owns this site thought my ideas on the matter were wrong. By now posting the truth--he has reversed course, but I see it took six years--in addition to the 39 years it took to get Kennedy's medical information publicly released--to get this out.

Silliness seems to continue on this, and my own father by the way personally nominated Mr. Kennedy to be President as a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles--a peripheral fact, but one that tends to underscore "the burning of my Celiac balls" over this type of delay!! [scott Adams' Reply: Just for the record I ran an article on this topic way back in 2002, so I'm not sure why you think I've ignored this issue. Here is the link: 

Nope. I have Addison's and I was tested for Celiac. I have read about his illnesses and his symptoms and treatment were exact to mine. And I have been tested for Celiac and I don't have it, BUT TRUST IT CAN MIMIC IT PERFECTLY. He had Schmitts Syndrome like me I believe which is Hashimoto's and Addison's put together.