Other AI Disorders

[Fbmb]

I am just curious, and figured I would inquire here because there are so many experts on this site. After going gluten free and knowing that you’re doing well, what are the odds of developing other AI disorders in the future? I know that anyone with an AI disorder is obviously at risk for developing others, but I also know that sticking to a gluten free diet must offer some protection from that. After all, according to my doctor, when someone is on a gluten free diet they are essentially “free” of Celiac. That’s not to say that they don’t have it - but they likely don’t have antibodies or damage to the small intestine, like those of us did before we were diagnosed. That said, since the Celiac isn’t raging in our systems, is it potentially causing other AI issues to appear?

(he didn’t mean that we are “without” celiac, but said that if I were to be tested now I would probably test negative because I’m on a vigilant gluten-free diet. If I eat gluten....well, that’s another story).

im just curious about this. I wonder often what my risks are of developing other issues, and I remain diligent in being aware....but I have a tendency to be pretty anxious about it. So I’m always trying to keep a level head. 

My doc said they’ll always want to monitor my thyroid (each year) because of the connection between thyroid disease and celiac. My glucose is always stellar, so they’ve never worried about diabetes. I’m also 30 so I know the risk of developing T1 diabetes is low, or VERY low. My son is 4 and has celiac so we check his glucose each year. 

I was diagnosed at 29, FYI. 

Thanks guys! 

[Posterboy]

Fbmb,

I think because you caught your celiac disease so early (relatively speaking) eating gluten free mitigates most of the future risk of developing other AI diseases.

Celiac.org has a nice article on the relative risk of developing other AI disease when you are an un-diagnosed celiac.

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quoting

"For people with celiac disease, the later the age of diagnosis, the greater the chance of developing another autoimmune disorder."

they have a nice chart measuring relative risk which presumably as you noted goes down when you get your celiac diagnosis and begin eating gluten free.

Age of Diagnosis	Chance of Developing Another Autoimmune Disorder
2-4	10.5%
4 – 12	16.7%
12 – 20	27%
Over 20	34

I hope this is helpful.

Posterboy,

 

[Posterboy]

1 hour ago, Fbmb said:

I’m also 30 so I know the risk of developing T1 diabetes is low, or VERY low. My son is 4 and has celiac so we check his glucose each year. 

Fbmb,

Why T1 diabetes is usually considered a "young person's" disease by that I mean congential or the first 5 years of life T2 can often be triggered by stressful events in one's life.

Like the case of gestational diabetes.  If blood sugars were not elevated in your pregnancy I would say your relatively risk of developing is future diabetes is very low.

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The risk of developing diabetes from those who had gestational diabetes is about 1/5 or twenty percent in the next 10 years.

I am in the prediabetic stage and have a high chance of developing full blown diabetes in the next 10 years. .. . and why I fight so hard to keep it in check now.

Eating to my meter has changed how I successfully manage my prediabetes.

I often wonder why more people who are dealing with prediabetes don't check their blood sugar more regularly.

I hope this is helpful.

Posterboy,

 

 

 

[Ennis-TX]

Pretty sure type 1 can develop at any age.....we suspect my mother has celiac for years  and she just got type 1 almost 2 years ago. (she is in her 50s?)

I probably had my other AI disease for 2-3 years before it was diagnosed. I had the bleeding in my stool for over 2 years before they found Ulcerative Colitis. I was diagnosed with Celiac over 5 years ago, and initially was fine with the bean, rice, fruit, veggie and light meat diet. Seems after I got my celiac under control I started having issues with carbs causing bloody stools, distention etc. And it was assumed I had a gut bacteria issue, so went low carb slowly phasing out fruit, beans, grains to just a tiny bit. Then found out it was flaring UC and had to remove them completely to stop it...still get flares when I got a bit heavy on the spices or tomatoes.

Anyway I suspect the reason for it coming up after my GFD is that my immune system no longer was going overboard on gluten and focused on other things that had been bothering it to a lesser extent that it now had time to point out....just a assumption on that point. Be nice if there was some medical info on that theory but with sensitivities, allergies, etc all coming up after the GFD it just points that way.