Does Celiac disease affect blood pressure?

[Dorothy O.]

After being an undiagnosed celiac for 70 years, I’m now 80 years old and have been experiencing high and low blood pressure extremes along with a severe cough.  Both cardiologist and respirologist are at loss for treatment.  Is it food related to being celiac?

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, @Dorothy O.! May we assume you have now been officially diagnosed with celiac disease? You seem to imply this and if so, when did these blood pressure and cough symptoms start to appear?

[Dorothy O.]

Yes I was officially diagnosed as Celiac.  although an older brother almost died because of coeliac disease we were never informed that it was genetic. An orthopod suspected coeliac because of frequent falls and osteoporosis. I also suffered from pneumonia at least once a year often twice a year. All of this stopped after the diagnosis.

Three years ago in January, my husband passed away.  Until that time, I had the blood pressure of a teenager.  About two months later, the blood pressure issues began.

I had been told that the coeliac disease prevented my body from absorbing calcium and vitamin D. I am wondering if there are other minerals or vitamins that my body lacked.

My blood pressure average is in the 170s but drops below 100 frequently.  After three years and numerous medication’s, I have a diagnosis, but I do not respond to any blood pressure medications.
 

[trents]

Malabsorption of vitamins and minerals from celiac disease tends to be global. So, if you are low in one or two things that have been tested, you are likely low in other vitamins and minerals as well. Routinely, we the admins on this forum recommend to those celiacs who were undiagnosed for years to supplement with sublingual B12, a high-potency B-complex, D3 (5000 to 10,000 IU daily), magnesium glycinate (the form of magnesium is important for optimum absorption and also to prevent a laxative effect) and zinc picolinate (the form is important). Please realize that an adult multivitamin is just not strong enough to effectively correct severe and long-standing deficiencies. 

Make sure all supplements are gluten free. If you have access to a Costco store, there Kirkland Signature products and Nature Made lines are good choices, good quality, fairly economical and will specify on the label if they are gluten free. Many of them are gluten free. 

I'm assuming your doctors have checked your potassium levels since you have been on blood pressure meds. Some of them will leach potassium from the body and potassium is a critical element in cardiac health.

Also, many blood pressure meds cause coughing in a significant percentage of people: https://bloodpressureexplained.com/blood-pressure-medications-that-cause-coughing/

[Russ H]

People with coeliac disease tend to have lower systolic blood pressure. However symptoms vary greatly between people and there are multiple cases in the literature of hypertension in people diagnosed with coeliac disease that gradually reverses on a strict gluten-free diet.