Could This Be Celiac?

[JerryK]

I've wondered about Celiac for some time now. What got me wondering about it is I was diagnosed with Enamel Hypoplasia. At age 40 (I'm 45 now) I had to have all my teeth crowned, because they were worn

down 3/4 of the way down to the gumline.

My dentist mentioned he knew of a few things that might cause Enamel Defects and Celiac was one of them.

I don't have much in the way of gastrointestinal symptoms. Periodically I'll be sick for a few days, but always have interpreted this as "something I ate". Any symptoms I do have are somewhat vague: Mild

diarrhea at times, nausea and bloating, fatigue etc... Nothing that would send me frantic to the doctor, who feels great all the time right?

I am of European decent...short stature(male 5'6") and I do have Enamel Hypoplasia. Anyone one else out there who's had tooth problems that led to a celiac disease diagnosis? Any opinions about whether I should be tested?

Thanks Much,

Jerry

[Guest nini]

The interesting thing about Celiac is that some people never get ANY symptoms and are only diagnosed because a family member was diagnosed with it and they got their first degree relatives to get screened.

There is no ONE way that Celiac manifests, yes it very well could affect the teeth and if your dentist thinks this is a possible cause it certainly is worth exploring.

[JerryK]

The interesting thing about Celiac is that some people never get ANY symptoms and are only diagnosed because a family member was diagnosed with it and they got their first degree relatives to get screened.

There is no ONE way that Celiac manifests, yes it very well could affect the teeth and if your dentist thinks this is a possible cause it certainly is worth exploring.

Would there be a way I could test it by experimenting with my diet. Say eliminate anything containing gluten for a couple weeks, then start eating it again and see if I get any symptoms. I hate to go to my doctor saying "test me for this" and seem like a hypocondriac, without any data.

Thanks for your response.

[lonewolf]

Would there be a way I could test it by experimenting with my diet. Say eliminate anything containing gluten for a couple weeks, then start eating it again and see if I get any symptoms. I hate to go to my doctor saying "test me for this" and seem like a hypocondriac, without any data.

Thanks for your response.

If you stop eating gluten, you could throw the test results off - then your doctor really might think you're a hypochondriac! If you want a diagnosis, go to your doctor and ask for the celiac panel to be done ASAP. BTW - I have dental problems too - more cavities as a child than anyone can imagine and now my teeth are practically transparent. I had cavities well into adulthood, but haven't had a single one since going wheat-free 10 years ago.

[Guhlia]

You could do an elimination diet, but that could skew future test results. Your doctor absolutely should not fault you for trying to take a hand in your own health care. I would absolutely get tested. If you don't want to do it through the doctor, you could always test privately with Enterolab. It's out of pocket, but then your doctor and your insurance company would never have to hear about it, or you could try and have it reimbursed by your insurance company. Either way, keep in mind that it is possible to get negative test results EVEN IF YOU HAVE CELIAC DISEASE! There are lots of false negatives, so listen to your body and do what you think is healthiest.

[Mango04]

I don't have much in the way of gastrointestinal symptoms. Periodically I'll be sick for a few days, but always have interpreted this as "something I ate". Any symptoms I do have are somewhat vague: Mild

diarrhea at times, nausea and bloating, fatigue etc... Nothing that would send me frantic to the doctor, who feels great all the time right?

Actually it's not normal to have mild D at times, nausea and bloating. These things can be caused by Celiac or non-celiac gluten intolerance (if you get tested by a doctor and test negative, you could still have non-celiac gluten intolerance). I feel great all of the time as long as I steer clear from gluten (and dairy and soy).

Would there be a way I could test it by experimenting with my diet. Say eliminate anything containing gluten for a couple weeks, then start eating it again and see if I get any symptoms. I hate to go to my doctor saying "test me for this" and seem like a hypocondriac, without any data.

Thanks for your response.

You can experiment with gluten if you want. This would probably be instead of getting tested by a doctor, since test results will not be accurate once you've eliminated gluten from your diet. Make sure you eliminate all gluten, including the hidden sources. I'd say you should do this for at least a month (minimum). A couple of weeks isn't long enough. If you feel better, you have your answer. If you feel much worse after reintroducing gluten, you have even more of an answer. You might want to go to a doctor and get tested first. If that doesn't give you an answer, experiment with your diet. It's well worth it.

[tarnalberry]

If you experiment with the diet first, you will not be able to get reliable diagnostic tests from the doctor, because all available tests look for your bodies reaction to ingestion of the substance, and since the reaction occurs in the intestines, you have to wait for enough damage to occur to the intestines that the antibodies generated by the reaction can escape through a damaged intestine into the bloodstream (antibodies are pretty big!). The enamel defects *are* a strong enough sign to go to the doctor for a simple blood test. After the blood is taken, you can consider doing the dietary test for secondary testing - it too is a valid diagnostic test, you just have to do them in the right order.

[JerryK]

If you stop eating gluten, you could throw the test results off - then your doctor really might think you're a hypochondriac! If you want a diagnosis, go to your doctor and ask for the celiac panel to be done ASAP. BTW - I have dental problems too - more cavities as a child than anyone can imagine and now my teeth are practically transparent. I had cavities well into adulthood, but haven't had a single one since going wheat-free 10 years ago.

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I appreciate it and will pursue this with my doc. The teeth problems I had were very dramatic. When I was 25, my dentist told me my teeth were hard as granite.

Didn't think I'd ever have a problem with tooth loss. By the time I was 35, my teeth were worn enough that a different dentist was recommending crown reconstruction. By the time I was 40 I HAD to have it done because my teeh were rapidly wearing down to the gum. I don't think you have that dramatic of a change without a reason....

Interestingly I have a twin brother with exactly the same problem. He had to go have his teeth done too.

He's in worse shape than I am, he doesn't exercise and he complains of odd pains everywhere. Says he's really stiff his joints hurt in the morning etc....Wonders what's wrong with him. Putting 2 and 2 together makes me really start to wonder.

[Nancym]

If your blood tests and/or biopsy come out negative I would advise a dietary trial regardless. The blood tests just don't pick up everyone who is sensitive to gluten.

I was kind of like you, had lots of gas, bloating, occassion (becoming more than occassional) cramping and diarrhea which I thought was just normal.

It is rather amazing how flat my stomach became after getting off gluten, then dairy.

[dionnek]

Sounds like your brother should be tested! My symptoms were what i consider mild also, until someone told me it is not normal to have D or even regular BMs 7 or 8 times a day, every day!

I'm still not "normal", since I've only been doing this diet for a week, and haven't seen any improvement, but I've heard it takes several months.