Re: Sore Throat As A First Sign Of Glutening

[Tweaton]

I wanted to know if gluten could be causing my chronic sore throat, which I have been living with for four or five years now. I Googled it and found this article "Sore Throat As A First Sign Of Glutening". I've always tried to eat healthy and have preferred whole wheat bread, thinking it was healthier than white bread. I've never had any reason to believe that I might have Celiac disease; heck, I never even knew what it was until now! I just thought I might be having a reaction to so much gluten over the last 50 years. I'm planning to go on an elimination diet and you can be sure I'll be looking for a reaction to gluten. The comments that I read described exactly what I have been experiencing. Thank you! Tom

[trents]

26 minutes ago, Tweaton said:

I wanted to know if gluten could be causing my chronic sore throat, which I have been living with for four or five years now. I Googled it and found this article "Sore Throat As A First Sign Of Glutening". I've always tried to eat healthy and have preferred whole wheat bread, thinking it was healthier than white bread. I've never had any reason to believe that I might have Celiac disease; heck, I never even knew what it was until now! I just thought I might be having a reaction to so much gluten over the last 50 years. I'm planning to go on an elimination diet and you can be sure I'll be looking for a reaction to gluten. The comments that I read described exactly what I have been experiencing. Thank you! Tom

Welcome to the forum, Tweaton!

Can you provide a link to that article you referenced please?

My first reaction to the information you provided about your sore throat experience is that it sounds like an allergic reaction, or possibly GERD (Gastro Esophagial Reflux Disease).

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by trents

[Scott Adams]

It wouldn't be a common symptom, but as @trents mentioned, if your sore throat is caused by GERD then there could be a celiac disease/gluten sensitivity connection, as there is a higher incidence of GERD in those with undiagnosed celiac disease.

You may want to look into getting a blood test for celiac disease:

 

[knitty kitty]

@Tweaton,

You'll want to stay on a gluten containing diet and get testing for antibodies typical of Celiac disease.  

If you eliminate gluten, your body will quit making antibodies and you'll get a false negative.  

If you eliminate gluten now and try to reintroduce it later, you may have more severe reactions to gluten as your body launches a redoubled autoimmune response.  

Get the complete Celiac panel of blood tests now while you've been consistently having gluten in your diet for the past twelve weeks.  

Keep us posted on your journey to diagnosis!

[Tweaton]

On 2/8/2023 at 1:02 PM, trents said:

Welcome to the forum, Tweaton!

Can you provide a link to that article you referenced please?

My first reaction to the information you provided about your sore throat experience is that it sounds like an allergic reaction, or possibly GERD (Gastro Esophagial Reflux Disease).

 

Actually it was an earlier post on this forum. I copied the title and used it in my title for this quote. I found it by Googling (gluten sore throat congestion). I'm not sure if those are all the exact search terms but there about 90%. What got my attention were the descriptions in virtually every reply. The post has been closed, but if you can find it scroll through the replies. About a screen so down the list there's one that is identical to my symptoms; right down to the excessive mucus, with or without post nasal drip. I'm already treating for Asthma and allergies and I figure the elimination diet aught to cover Gerd. I won't see the nutritionist for a couple of weeks yet so I am considering asking my PCP about testing. Thank you all for your feedback. The more I have the better I'll be able to make an informed decision. 

Tom

[Russ H]

23 hours ago, Tweaton said:

Actually it was an earlier post on this forum. I copied the title and used it in my title for this quote. I found it by Googling (gluten sore throat congestion). I'm not sure if those are all the exact search terms but there about 90%. What got my attention were the descriptions in virtually every reply. The post has been closed, but if you can find it scroll through the replies. About a screen so down the list there's one that is identical to my symptoms; right down to the excessive mucus, with or without post nasal drip. I'm already treating for Asthma and allergies and I figure the elimination diet aught to cover Gerd. I won't see the nutritionist for a couple of weeks yet so I am considering asking my PCP about testing. Thank you all for your feedback. The more I have the better I'll be able to make an informed decision. 

Tom

I used to suffer from chronic sore throat and post nasal drip. Also bad breath despite scrupulous dental hygiene. Completely went following diagnosis and strict gluten-free diet. I certainly had reflux, bloating and burping. Maybe it was reflux but my gut felt raw from my throat through to the other end. I wonder whether coeliac disease can directly affect the oesophagus.

[Tweaton]

Got a notice that Rus H left a reply to my post. Since this is the only reply that I see I'm assuming it's from Rus. Thank you for your comments. The odd thing is, I haven't had any serious pain in my oesophagus for I can't remember how long; it's all in my throat. I do get some serious burning in my butt from time to time. And I get spot pains around my gut that I haven't taken seriously until now. I have an appointment with a Dietician tomorrow and an annual physical next week. I think I'm going to ask if I can get tested for Celiac disease. Then in about I'll start my elimination diet. I'm feeling more confident that I'm on the right track since reading your reply. Thanks again. 

Tom

[Russ H]

4 minutes ago, Tweaton said:

Got a notice that Rus H left a reply to my post. Since this is the only reply that I see I'm assuming it's from Rus. Thank you for your comments. The odd thing is, I haven't had any serious pain in my oesophagus for I can't remember how long; it's all in my throat. I do get some serious burning in my butt from time to time. And I get spot pains around my gut that I haven't taken seriously until now. I have an appointment with a Dietician tomorrow and an annual physical next week. I think I'm going to ask if I can get tested for Celiac disease. Then in about I'll start my elimination diet. I'm feeling more confident that I'm on the right track since reading your reply. Thanks again. 

Tom

It is certainly worth getting tested. In the UK, medical guidance is now moving towards testing patients with various chronic symptoms for coeliac disease. It is a relatively cheap and sensitive blood test.

I used to have a chronic sore throat, in fact my dentist commented that my throat was red during a routine check-up. This was the event that led to my eventual diagnosis.

Interestingly, the original blood test for coeliac disease was for anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA), and this is still used sometimes today. The EMA test used monkey oesophagus as a substrate to test for antibody binding. It is now known that the EMA test detects anti-tTG2 antibodies, as tTG2 is richly expressed in the oesophagus and these are better tested for directly as now happens. The fact that the oesophagus is reacting to anti-tTG2  enough to be used as a test, suggests to me that it is is also being damaged by coeliac disease just as the gut is. So perhaps some of the heartburn and discomfort associated with coeliac disease comes from this rather than reflux (leakage of gastric contents).