Celiac Vs. Gluten Sensitivity

[CMCM]

I've been trying to get more info about a person's status as having celiac disease vs. just being gluten sensitive. I had a gene for each, and of course, since I haven't had a biopsy I can't really know which one of these is operational with me.

So I asked these questions of Enterolab:

1) "With reference to your statement: "Please know that casein sensitivity can cause the same type of intestinal damage that gluten sensitivity can."

I'm confused about gluten sensitivity compared to actual celiac disease. If gluten sensitivity AND casein sensitivity can both cause similar intestinal damage, how is that damage different from that of celiac disease? Is there any real difference in the end result?

2) If you do NOT have the celiac gene, would the gluten sensitivity never lead to serious damage? Or could it anyway? Or does it merely manifest with digestive symptoms but no more than that?

3) Should I assume damage would never occur if you didn't have the celiac related gene?"

AND HERE IS ENTEROLAB'S ANSWER:

There is no difference in the damage that can be done intestinally, but Celiac Disease has much further reaching affects systemically and will cause the damage much more quickly than other food sensitivities, according to the research we have at this point.

If you don't have the Celiac gene, you can still incur intestinal damage, but it is less likely without the gene. However, those who are gluten sensitive and incur damage are severely sensitive and could be in that category of 1% of Celiac patients who do not have one of the main Celiac genes. Research just hasn't learned which other gene or gene combination that 1% is. Do not assume that damage would never occur without a Celiac gene.

____________

This cleared up a lot of things for me....especially since I don't plan to bother with a biopsy, I wasn't sure how to evluate my own results. And for someone who only has gluten sensitive genes, this would be a warning to take the diet seriously as well. Perhaps if you don't show up with ANY of the established genes yet you obviously have symptoms, you should at least try the diet seriously for a time and see how you feel.

[jerseyangel]

Thanks for posting that, Carole--it was really interesting.

[Nancym]

There's a doctor that has been studying the neurological effects of gluten intolerance in certain people. They'll actually show up with brain lesions on autopsy and not have villi damage, but have wheat specific IgA damage in their intestines. So they're people who are severly afflicted by gluten but it wouldn't be identified by an intestinal biopsy.

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All this stuff makes me think more and more... wheat is bad mojo for probably almost everyone.

[mamaw]

nancym

thanks so much for that info and site. My daughter has a brain lesion in the pond area of her brain. Not causing any problems and doc thinks maybe she was born with it.I'm not sure of the correct spelling of the POND region!!!! I will now go to the website and further read ...

mamaw

[ravenwoodglass]

nancym

thanks so much for that info and site. My daughter has a brain lesion in the pond area of her brain. Not causing any problems and doc thinks maybe she was born with it.I'm not sure of the correct spelling of the POND region!!!! I will now go to the website and further read ...

mamaw

Did he call this a UBO? They found these lesions on my MRIs years ago and I was told they were nothing. After I was diagnosed with Celiac and started doing research I found out in Europe they are diagnostic for Celiac. Here my neuro called them nothing to be concerned about.