Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Genetics

watchthestars

Recommended Posts

watchthestars Rookie
watchthestars
Posted

From my personal observations, it seems that the gene for celiac/gluten intol. is passed on from parent to child more often than not. Has anyone read any studies on the chances of passing down the gene?

I am curious because I don't know if I should ask my brother to get tested. I was never tested, but my health has improved greatly since going gluten-free. A few years ago my dad figured out that he was gluten intolerant from a blood test. (he was never really sick, but he says he feels better when he doesn't eat gluten). Here's his side of the family at a glance:

mother - colon cancer

brother - colon cancer

other brother - schizophrenia

my guess is that they all have the gene.

My brother (17) doesn't show any signs of a gluten intolerence. but i'm curious if he even has a chance of NOT having the gene! Maybe he's asymptomatic like the majority of my family? Or maybe gluten is fine for him?

he already has a problem with dairy (but eats it anyway :blink: ) sooo i don't want to go preaching to him about gluten intolerence until i get some more facts.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

I have read the chances are somethng like one in ten or one in twenty (depending on the expert) that you will be a Celiac if you have a "close relative" who is one. I think "close relative" was defined as someone in your immediate family, like a parent or a sibling. If your brother has lactose intolerance, you may already know that this is very common with Celiacs. It is often a "pseudo lactose intolerance" that disappears when you go on a gluten free diet and the gut has a chance to heal.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

The statistic I have heard is that about 1 in 22 children of a celiac will develop celiac disease.

Assuming one parent with celiac, who has one copy of the genetic factor, there is a 50% chance of inheriting the the trait. If both parents carry the factor, then the probability increases to 75% (25% chance of both parents NOT passing the factor).

Of those people with the genetic factor, the latest numbers I have seen suggest that one in eleven will develop celiac disease. It is necessary but not sufficient to have the genes. The disease must also be triggered by something such as surgery, infectious disease, or another factor causing stress in the immune system.

One in 22 is about 4.5%. While that is much higher than the estimates of 1 in 132 (or 1 in 100) for the general population, it is still a relatively low rate. Put another way, over 95% of children of celiacs will never develop celiac disease themselves, even though they may carry (and potentially pass on) the genetic factor.

chrissy Collaborator
chrissy
Posted

a sibling of a celiac is more likely to have celiac than a child of a celiac. not sure why that is.

prinsessa Contributor
prinsessa
Posted

I read somewhere that children of Celiacs have a 10% chance of developing the disease. I don't think anyone really knows how commen gluten intolerance really is. Some people think 1% of the population has it. I don't know how we would know for sure since none of the tests are 100%. I wouldn't have known that I was gluten intolerant if I didn't do my own research and decide to go on the diet even though my blood test was negative.

Super Bellybutton Rookie
Super Bellybutton
Posted

Not sure if I remember correctly, but I think if both parents have the gene then the child is UNLIKELY to get it.

It's better to be heterozygous for the celiac disease (one active, one non-active) as opposed to homozygous for no celiac (one non-active, one non-active). I don't rmemeber the science of it, but this is so no environmental triggers can activate it.

Guest Robbin
Guest Robbin
Posted
a sibling of a celiac is more likely to have celiac than a child of a celiac. not sure why that is.

It is because a sibling has the same gene pool. Both parents are the same for each. A child of a celiac has the other parent's genes too. (I hope I didn't confuse anyone! It is a little confusing sometimes isn't it?)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kbtoyssni Contributor
kbtoyssni
Posted

It is recommended that all immediate family members of a celiac get tested, and I've heard that now they recommend extended family should also get tested. They could be asymptomatic right now but still damaging their body. My brother just got tested even though he showed no symptoms because if he did have it, I don't want him damaging his body for years and then getting really sick later in life. (Turns out he doesn't have it). It can't hurt to get tested, especially if you know celiac is in your gene pool.

watchthestars Rookie
watchthestars
Posted
  • Author

thanks for the answers everyone! I think i'll talk to him about getting tested sometime in the near future.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. SamAlvi
      - SamAlvi replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      2

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Hi, thank you for the reply. Unfortunately, no other antibody tests were ordered. I am a 32-year-old male. About two months ago, I ate pancakes and then developed severe diarrhea that lasted the entire day. At night, I became unconscious due to fluid loss and was admitted to the ER, where I received IV fluids. Two days later, I ate bread again and once...
    2. trents
      - trents replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      2

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @SamAlvi! Were there any other antibody tests ordered? Particularly, was there a "total IGA" test ordered to check for IGA deficiency. When people are IGA deficient, celiac panel IGA test scores, such as the TTG-IGA, are likely not valid. If a total IGA test was not ordered, I would request such to be done. Note:...
    3. Scott Adams
      0

      Homemade Gluten-Free Egg Drop Soup

    4. GlorietaKaro
      - GlorietaKaro replied to GlorietaKaro's topic in Super Sensitive People
      7

      Am I nuts?

      Thank you— yes, valid and essential— The issue either doctors is that every one I have tried to talk to about this has essentially rolled their eyes and dismissed me as a hypochondriac, which gets discouraging. I believe a diagnosis would help me to be taken seriously by doctors as well as being validating, but can carry on without it. There are...
    5. lalan45
      - lalan45 replied to GlorietaKaro's topic in Super Sensitive People
      7

      Am I nuts?

      You’re not crazy—some people have severe neurological and physical reactions to gluten, not just digestive issues. While testing can be tricky without eating gluten, documenting symptoms and seeing a specialist familiar with atypical celiac or gluten-related disorders can help. Your reactions are real, and it’s valid to be cautious.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,840
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Pat C
    Newest Member
    Pat C
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Hi, thank you for the reply. Unfortunately, no other antibody tests were ordered. I am a 32-year-old male. About two months ago, I ate pancakes and then developed severe diarrhea that lasted the entire day. At night, I became unconscious due to fluid loss and was admitted to the ER, where I received IV fluids. Two days later, I ate bread again and once more developed severe diarrhea. I ended up in the ER again and received IV fluids. In my country, Pakistan, doctors are unfortunately not very thorough, so they treated me for a stomach infection. I visited three or four doctors, including a gastroenterologist, but it seemed like they just wanted to keep me on medications and IV fluids. Eventually, I did some digging myself and started connecting the dots. For years, I’ve had excessive gas buildup and frequent loose stools, but I never paid much attention to it. I also cannot easily digest dairy products. Two years ago, I had a CBC test that showed iron deficiency. My doctor told me to eat more meat and said it was nothing serious. However, for the past five years, I’ve also had severe motion sickness, which I never experienced before. Whenever I get on a bus or in a car, I sometimes lose consciousness for 10–20 seconds and wake up sweaty, and occasionally I feel the need to vomit. After more research on the internet, I came across gluten and celiac disease, so I got two related tests (TTG-IgA & TTG IgG) done along with a stool test and another CBC. The stool test showed weakly positive blood. Ever since eating those pancakes and bread, I’ve had a burning sensation in my gut. My doctor reviewed my tests, he told me to completely stop eating gluten and started me on IV fluids for 20 days, saying that I had severe inflammation in my gut. It has now been two months since I quit gluten, and I’m still not sure whether this is celiac disease or gluten intolerance. I don’t really trust doctors in Pakistan, so I thought I might get some help here.
    • trents
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @SamAlvi! Were there any other antibody tests ordered? Particularly, was there a "total IGA" test ordered to check for IGA deficiency. When people are IGA deficient, celiac panel IGA test scores, such as the TTG-IGA, are likely not valid. If a total IGA test was not ordered, I would request such to be done. Note: "Total IGA" goes by other names as well. I will include a primer on celiac disease antibody testing which does a good job in covering the nomenclature variations connected with the various tests. Elevated IGG scores can certainly indicate celiac disease but they are more likely than elevated IGA tests to be caused by something else.  
    • GlorietaKaro
      Am I nuts?

      By GlorietaKaro · Posted

      Thank you— yes, valid and essential— The issue either doctors is that every one I have tried to talk to about this has essentially rolled their eyes and dismissed me as a hypochondriac, which gets discouraging. I believe a diagnosis would help me to be taken seriously by doctors as well as being validating, but can carry on without it.    There are many, probably most people in my area of my age and gender, who avoid gluten, but many just avoid it casually— eating the occasional plate of wheat pasta or a delicious-looking dessert, or baking cookies with wheat flour for gatherings.  That is not an option for me. I don’t eat other people’s cooking or go to restaurants that do not have strict cross- contamination procedures. It can be boring and lonely, and people do look at me as if I am being a bit dramatic but weeks of symptoms after a single small exposure has taught me to respect my experience.    Thank you very much for your response— sometimes I just need to hear that I am not crazy—
    • lalan45
      Am I nuts?

      By lalan45 · Posted

      You’re not crazy—some people have severe neurological and physical reactions to gluten, not just digestive issues. While testing can be tricky without eating gluten, documenting symptoms and seeing a specialist familiar with atypical celiac or gluten-related disorders can help. Your reactions are real, and it’s valid to be cautious.
    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Anti TTG (IgA) 2.430 U/mL Anti TTG (IgG) 288.2 U/mL
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.