Jump to content
  • 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 Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Celiac and retinitis pigmentosa


artsunshine

Recommended Posts

artsunshine Apprentice

Hi all,

this week is a sad part of my life. Not only that in 2016 i was diagnosed with celiac and hashimoto, now they told me i have retinitis pigmentosa. This is disease of the eyes, billateral and i will be blind in next years. I am wondering if it is connected to celiac anyhow? There is no cure for retinitis pigmentosa, but sometimes you can slow it down with vitamin a, thats why i am asking! Would appreciate your answers! 


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ravenwoodglass Mentor

There was one thing that might connect that I saw on Medscape. The article seemed to have a lot of good info.

Open Original Shared Link

"Systemic examination for RP can be helpful to rule out syndromic RP, which are conditions that have pigmentary retinopathy and mimic RP, such as the following: "

....  "Fat malabsorption, fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies, "

Perhaps that could have a celiac related cause.  I wonder if that is the case if it could be either stopped or reversed?

knitty kitty Grand Master

ArtSunshine, 

So sorry to hear your diagnosis.  My heart goes out to you.

Celiac Disease causes damage to the small intestine which makes absorption of vitamins problematic.  Vitamin A deficiency is a cause of eye problems.

This article discusses how vitamin A and DHA can help slow the progression.

Open Original Shared Link

And this article looks at different ways Celiac Disease can affect the eyes and vision.  

Open Original Shared Link

I hope this helps.  

flowerqueen Community Regular
18 hours ago, artsunshine said:

Hi all,

this week is a sad part of my life. Not only that in 2016 i was diagnosed with celiac and hashimoto, now they told me i have retinitis pigmentosa. This is disease of the eyes, billateral and i will be blind in next years. I am wondering if it is connected to celiac anyhow? There is no cure for retinitis pigmentosa, but sometimes you can slow it down with vitamin a, thats why i am asking! Would appreciate your answers! 

Hi,

Firstly, I'm so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, if you need any help with this the RNIB in UK (website) has some useful information on the disease which you might want to look at.  As far as I know, there isn't any link between the condition and celiac disease, although both conditions are hereditary.  Somewhere, I did hear that stem cell treatment can slow down the disease, you may have to look that up on Google, unless anyone else here can help you.  I'm also informed that people can retain a small amount of vision with the disease, again, this is something you may wish to research yourself.  

I truly wish there was more I could say to help, and I wish you good luck on your quest and pray that there will be a cure somewhere on the horizon in the not too distant future, and that you will benefit from it. 

Washingtonmama Contributor

Im so sorry   :'(   My husband, boys, brother-in-law, father-in-law, my husband's uncle...all have RP. Eighty percent of my husbands side of the family have it. No one had Celiac disease though so I cant help with that idea. Sadly they have disproved the vitamin A treatment saying it works minimally in some people, not at all in others.  I can tell you something really exciting though that I bet will help. We go to the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, OR for eye care. My husband and boys are enrolled in their research studies, basically anonamously submitting their tests for research. Anyway, their eye team told us they are now looking for a drug company who will make the medication they developed that will slow or completely stop the progress of RP. They will start their clinical trials with the medication in about a year. They have a stem cell trial in the works too, to begin in about 9 months. So don't lose hope, there is a LOT of hope to stop your RP! They are very confident in their medication and the stem cell treatment, this is good! Maybe you can contact them to see if you can get in on the trial too. I do think you have to go to Casey Eye Institute as they have satellite offices throughout the US. Heres the link...Open Original Shared Link

 

Washingtonmama Contributor
On 4/5/2017 at 8:27 AM, artsunshine said:

Hi all,

this week is a sad part of my life. Not only that in 2016 i was diagnosed with celiac and hashimoto, now they told me i have retinitis pigmentosa. This is disease of the eyes, billateral and i will be blind in next years. I am wondering if it is connected to celiac anyhow? There is no cure for retinitis pigmentosa, but sometimes you can slow it down with vitamin a, thats why i am asking! Would appreciate your answers! 

 

I forgot to ask, do you have family members who have RP! if so, you can usually base how fast your vision loss will progress on their vision loss. Not always, but I've heard that is the general rule. Most people don't lose their vision entirely until they are in their 60's or 70's. Just something that popped into my head. 

Archived

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

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

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





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - xxnonamexx replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      43

      My journey is it gluten or fiber?

    2. - knitty kitty replied to Charlie1946's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      45

      Severe severe mouth pain

    3. - Lkg5 replied to Charlie1946's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      45

      Severe severe mouth pain

    4. - Charlie1946 replied to Charlie1946's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      45

      Severe severe mouth pain

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,098
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    BothySmithy
    Newest Member
    BothySmithy
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • xxnonamexx
      I have taken the vitamins for a week. Haven't noticed any major changes but I will give it more time to see.
    • knitty kitty
      @Charlie1946,  Sorry I sidetracked your thread a bit.  Apologies. Proton pump inhibitors, like Omeprazole, change the pH in our gastrointestinal systems which allows opportunistic microbes to move in and take over.  Have you been checked for SIBO?  There's a significant link between length of Omeprazole use and SIBO.  I had SIBO, thrush (Candida) and lichen planus and other problems while I was on Omeprazole.  I had to stop taking it.  It was a horrible time, so I understand how painful and frustrating it is.   You change your microbiome (the bacteria and microbes living inside you) by changing what you eat.  They eat what you eat.  Change the menu and you get different customers.   I changed my diet.  I cut out dairy because I was reacting to the casein and lactose.  I cut out all processed foods and most carbohydrates. I ate meat and veggies mostly, some fruit like apples and mandarin oranges.  By cutting out all the excess carbohydrates, lactose, and empty carbs in processed gluten-free foods, the opportunistic microbes get starved out.  SIBO bacteria send chemical messages to our brains demanding more carbs, so be prepared for carb cravings, but don't let the microbiome control you!   The skin and digestive system is continuous.  The health of our outside skin reflects the health of our gastrointestinal system.  Essential B vitamins, like Thiamine B 1 and especially Niacin B 3, are needed to repair intestinal damage and keep bad bacteria in check.  Niacin helps improve not only the intestinal tract, but also the skin.  Sebaceous Hyperplasia is linked to being low in Niacin B 3.  Lichen Planus is treated with Niacinamide, a form of Niacin B 3.   Vitamins are chemical compounds that our bodies cannot make.  We must get them from our food.  If our food isn't digested well (low stomach acid from Omeprazole causes poor digestion), then vitamins aren't released well.  Plus there's a layer of SIBO bacteria absorbing our vitamins first between the food we've eaten and our inflamed and damaged villi that may have difficulty absorbing the vitamins.  So, taking vitamin supplements is a way to boost absorption of essential nutrients that will allow the body to fight off the microbes, repair and heal.   Doctors are taught in medical learning institutions funded by pharmaceutical companies.  The importance of nutrition is downplayed and called old fashioned.  Doctors are taught we have plenty to eat, so no one gets nutritional deficiency diseases anymore.  But we do, as people with Celiac disease, with impaired absorption.  Nutritional needs need to be addressed first with us.  Vitamins cannot be patented because they are natural substances.  But pharmaceutical drugs can be.  There's more money to be made selling pharmaceutical drugs than vitamins.   Makes me wonder how much illness could be prevented if people were screened for Celiac disease much earlier in life, instead of after they've been ill and medicated for years.   Talk to your doctor and dietician about supplementing essential vitamins and minerals.   Interesting Reading: The Duration of Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy and the Risk of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12250812/#:~:text=The long-term use of,overgrowth dynamics is less clear. Lichenoid drug eruption with proton pump inhibitors https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC27275/ Nicotinamide: A Multifaceted Molecule in Skin Health and Beyond https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857428/
    • Lkg5
      My sebaceous hyperplasia and thrush disappeared when I stopped all dairy.
    • Charlie1946
      @knitty kitty Thank you so much for all that information! I will be sure to check it out and ask my doctor.  I am just at a loss, I am on my 2nd round of miracle mouthwash and I brush and scrape my tongue and (sorry this is gross) it's still coated in the middle 
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      Traditional brown rice vinegars are made by fermenting brown rice and water with koji (Kōji 麹). The gluten risk comes from the method of preparing the koji: rice, wheat or barley may be used. Regardless of the starting grain, "koji" typically will be listed as an ingredient, and that term alone does not indicate gluten status. I called Eden Foods regarding their product "Organic Brown Rice Vinegar" (product of Japan) to ask how their product is made. They gave me a clear answer that they >do< use rice and they >do not< use wheat or barley in preparing their koji. FWIW, the product itself does not contain any labeling about gluten, gluten risk, or gluten safety. Based on Eden's statement, I am going to trust that this product is gluten safe and use it.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.