Is Scleroderma Related To Celiac?

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I swear I read something about it somewhere, but I looked on the internet, and couldn't find anything. How many of you here have scleroderma?

[TCA]

My Dad has scleroderma. He hasn't yet tested positive for celiac disease, but I would bet money he has it. I have some info some where that connects it. I think the Enterolab website shows it as related. I'll dig through when I get a chance to see what I have. do you have it?

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Thanks, Tanya, I'll google it, it's sure to come up. You've got enough to do!

How's Megan tonight? (and you?)

[mouse]

I thought I had read that Scleroderma was also related to Celiac, but I also can't remember where. I have Morphia Scleroderma, diagnosed by 3 biopsies after a section of my back caved in.

[Nancym]

I think a gluten sensitivity increases your risk of all autoimmune diseases because hypothetically, it makes your intestines permeable and then your body reacts to stuff that shouldn't be crossing through to the blood stream. It isn't really accepted by all doctors yet but I think research is pointing in this direction.

I think this is a very interesting article about it: Open Original Shared Link

Autoimmune Disease & the Gluten Connection

Recently, an elevated level of a human protein called "Zonulin" was found in celiac disease patients. (34) Zonulin is known to cause a hyperpermeable intestinal lining, often called Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS). LGS allows metabolic and microbial toxins of the small intestines into the blood stream. Zonulin and LGS appears to be a contributing factor in celiac disease as well as other Autoimmune Diseases. Interestingly, Zonulin levels diminish on a gluten-free diet.

According to Dr. Cordain, there is strong data to suggest that the "foreign" antigens, which get into the bloodstream through LGS, may be involved in autoimmune diseases. Through a process called "molecular mimicry," these antigens contain certain amino acid sequences that have the same structural form as a variety of amino acid sequences in our body tissue. The immune system recognizes these large particles as foreign substances and makes antibodies against them, resulting in an autoimmune reaction against the similar body tissue.

This process has been implicated in rheumatoid arthritis from cow's milk. The inflammatory autoimmune reaction occurs in the joints because the amino acids found in human collagen are the same as in the amino acids of bovine albumin in cow's milk. (35) Also, a clinical observation after wheat ingestion of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers is followed within hours by increased joint swelling and pain. (36) The researchers suggest that one of the mechanisms involved is a permeable gastrointestinal tract to antigenic proteins or peptide fragments, derived from digested gluten. Inflammatory arthritis as well as Crohn's disease sufferers have been found to have inflammation of the intestinal tract that results in increased permeability. (37)

There was a wonderful article in "Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients" about the connection between food and intestinal permeability, I'll have to find it.

This looks good too: Open Original Shared Link

[chrissy]

i think that having ANY autoimmune disease increases your risk of having other autoimmune diseases. however, our ped gi told us that if the gluten free diet is followed, that a celiac's chance of getting other autoimmune diseases returns to the same risk as the rest of the "normal" population.

[Hallie Davis]

I swear I read something about it somewhere, but I looked on the internet, and couldn't find anything. How many of you here have scleroderma?

I have both the DQ8 gene and CREST scleroderma. My recent anti-centromere B test came through quite positive, and this test is supposed to be over 98% specific for CREST scleroderma. Since this is a progressive disease, it can be assumed that the other 2% will eventually develop at least 2 of the 5 signs needed to diagnose it when these antibodies are positive. In fact, I have 4 of the signs in the CREST acronym, plus liver inflammation, spinal inflammation, tendonitis, neuropathic symptoms, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, dry eyes, and obstructive sleep apnea, all of which are common with this condition.

I, too, am wondering how many of us, particularly those of you who have DQ8, have scleroderma? Unfortunately many doctors do NOT test for the anticentromere B antibodies, choosing to test only for SCL-70 instead. So in my case, diagnosis was delayed for many many years, primarily because I apparently also have another autoimmune disease which masks the ANA anticentromere staining pattern, making it look like other patterns. Most of the time the pattern simply looks homogeneous. Once the pattern was anti-centromere, however, many years ago, and the docs failed to do a followup anticentromere B test. It wasn't until this winter that a neurologist finally did the test, and it came out positive.

So the moral of the story is, the DQ8 gene, in particular is notorious for causing multiple autoimmune diseases, and if you think you have the symptoms of scleroderma (particularly aching, burning hands and feet, with hands and feet quite sensitive to cold, gastric reflux, and ring size changes) be sure to insist on the anticentromere B test!

If you have had both the anticentromere B and SCL-70 tests, and they were negative, we need to know that, too, so we can get an idea of the proportion of properly tested people who have this disorder. You should also tell us whether you have DQ8 or DQ2.