Is Celiac Gender Specific?

[Canadian Karen]

That's another good point. I think the way women's bodies are made, leave us much more prone to autoimmune diseases. I wonder if that has something to do with the fact that our bodies must accomodate a foreign substance when having a baby. Maybe our immune systems get kind of "confused"..... "Hey, she got a kid in there or not? Are we allowed to attack, boss?"......

Karen

[VydorScope]

WEll I only know 3 ppl with celiac disease out there in the world... Me, my son, and one of his teachers at dayschool. So thats 2 guys, 1 female! Not exactly a huge sample LOL

i thought most autoimmune diseases were more common in women, but i guess that could go back to the men won't go to the doctor thing.

christine

WEll females have more genes then males as I recall... so it might just be your chances are higher cause you got more chances to win the disease lottery so to speak.

[lovegrov]

I don't have a link, but I'm pretty certain women are more prone to autoimmune diseases, including celiac.

richard

[Rusla]

I know a pretty even selection of men and women with Celiac. Although you hear of women having it more. I agree why you hear of more women having it is because (I know this from experience with brothers and such) that, many men are chicken about going to the doctor.

They are afraid the doctor may want them to take their clothes off and inspect things.

[Nantzie]

I also think that men either don't go to the doctor or they just don't talk about stuff. I was telling one of my friends about celiac, and it turns out her stepdad was diagnosed with it as a baby and has had it all this time. We've even been on vacation with her whole family a few times and never knew he had any food issues. He just nicely says no thanks to whatever he can't eat and doesn't even discuss it or apologize for it.

Nancy

[jenvan]

Just wanted to say good job to all on redeeming this mean-spirited thread with a healthy discussion

[mommida]

One reason a woman could have a higher chance of an auto-immune disease, like Karen said, is bearing children. For more information you could search for fetomaternal microchimerism. This is when cells of the fetus pass to the mother. Interesting that these are stem cells absorbed into the mother's bone marrow. It could explain why women live longer than men acquiring more stem cells than what they were born with. Pregnancy is also said to lower a womans risk of multiple sclerosis or breast cancer. So another case of "Need more research" for a final answer.

Laura

[chrissy]

my oldest son (22) has alot of anxiety and depression problems. he went for over a year being nauseated every day and having the runs. he still feels sick often and has alot of rashes all over his body ------but he doesn't want to be tested. he says he would be devastated if he had it. i have told him that this might be the reason for all his problems. must be a guy thing.

christine

[Ursa Major]

my oldest son (22) has alot of anxiety and depression problems. he went for over a year being nauseated every day and having the runs. he still feels sick often and has alot of rashes all over his body ------but he doesn't want to be tested. he says he would be devastated if he had it. i have told him that this might be the reason for all his problems. must be a guy thing.

christine

My only son is also 22. He says he doesn't care, he doesn't want to know, he says he feels fine. He is the most scatterbrained person I know, definitely ADD (not officially diagnosed), and I told him that there might be a link, because gluten affects the brain. Oh well, I can't make him, he is supposed to be grown up and is married with his own house.