Hello All I've just received some puzzling blood results.  My blood results have always been a bit odd since my coeliac diagnosis - a few things out of range, but the only thing my consultant has ever wondered about is whether I am developing a condition called Polycythemia, as my hemaglobin can be a little high at times.  He did mention last time I saw it that it can be caused by too much iron, so for the past 18 months since I last saw him I've started to eat quite a bit less beef, in an effort to keep my levels lower. 18 months ago my Ferritin reading 40 (lab range 30-206) but now it has come down to 26. My first question is, would you say that that is a normal for a change in diet?  I do still eat red meat but probably half as much as I did 18 months ago. (I am postmenopausal incidentally). Secondly, my MCHC levels which have always been on the high side and have never worried my consultant are higher than ever (355) - now ten over my normal lab reading. (345)  The highest they have ever been until now is 354, in 2018. I see my bloods have been sent for a holotranscobalamin test which I gather is a new more accurate test for B12 and I shall be interested to know what the findings are as I think a high MCHC reading can be caused by issues with B12. Sorry - I'm rambling here, but my second question is, could my low ferritin somehow be related to my high MCHC levels, or vice versa.   If anyone has had this issue, I should be really interested to know what they think.   Cristina      

Your theory about a post-COVID hyper-reactive immune response is very plausible and aligns with what many in the community and some healthcare providers are observing. COVID-19 is known to cause significant dysregulation and inflammation within the immune system, which can take time to settle down. It's not a stretch to think that during this heightened state of alert, your body's reaction to a known trigger like gluten could be dramatically amplified, leading to a more severe and systemic inflammatory response than usual. While there may not be formal studies on this specific interaction yet, your experience of a "gluten hangover" with new, intense symptoms like full-body muscle cramps and cold sweats after a recent infection is a story I've heard echoed by others. It might be worth discussing with a gastroenterologist in addition to your allergist, as they may have further insight into the gut-immune axis post-COVID. I hope you feel fully recovered soon. This article, and the comments below it, may be helpful:    

Go by ingredients--if there are no gluten ingredients it should be safe. The drug industry is very careful about contamination between runs on the same machinery, so cross-contamination is unlikely. Until they are required to disclose gluten, which they are not now required to do, they will just keep feeding people the same CYA legal line.

Thanks for this. What I am finding is that even if the ingredient list looks safe, the brands I have called tell me that they can't tell me whether or not it's made on the same equipment and state that they do not test for gluten in the final product - ever. Do you have any ideas on how to address this part of the puzzle? 

You can search this site for prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/