Could My Son Have Celiac?

[selketine]

My son was dx'd with type diabetes when he was 26 months old and soon after I had him tested for celiac (and other things like thyroid problems) just as a routine matter. There is no history of celiac in our families but a history of type 2 and thyroid problems. His test 2 years ago was negative and he wasn't having symptoms.

However for about the past month he has been having frequent bowel movements. They are not runny but are generally small - perhaps one larger one a day and the rest are small. But he is having about 6-10 of these a day which seems excessive. He has been toliet trained for over a year with few accidents but he pooped in his underwear a few weeks ago when we were at the mall. He seemed to not know he needed to go (not like he was telling me and we were trying to get to the bathroom). He has also had one other small poop in his underwear.

His diabetes is under decent control so I don't think it is related to that (at least I hope it isn't due to nerve damage but that seems unlikely at his young age). He has also been very irritable since this started happening - he often gets cross with me at the drop of a hat which is not typical for him.

I plan to have him blood tested this week as we have a pedi endo appointment already scheduled. My questions are:

If you had a young child dx'd with celiac was one of the symptoms frequent bowel movements like this?

Anyone with type 1 kids and celiac?

And everyone here seems VERY impressed with this endolab (spelling?) place. Should I go that route?

Any other reasons why he could be having so many poops a day? I do not think it is allergy related as there have been no new foods added to his diet, etc.

It also seemed to come on suddenly - is that typical?

William also has had problems with asthma since he was 6 months old and continuing problems with eczema (especially recently and his usual cream isn't helping). He is EXTREMELY allergic to peanuts and tree nuts and we carry and epipen. He is contact sensitive to peanuts. He had mild hypotonia and didn't walk until he was 2. Otherwise he is now active and healthy and a super little guy

[mouse]

I understand from reading other parents (I am a grandmother) postings, that it is very hard to get an accurate blood diagnosis in young children. It is hard to get an accurate one in adults. I was just telling my GP that from the reading I have done, all insulin diabetics should be tested for Celiac disease as almost 1/3 have celiac disease and the majority do not know it. I also have read on here that there are a few parents who's young children tested negative on the blood test and then had a positive biopsy. Also those that have used Enterolab, have nothing but good things to say about it. You can also get your child tested for allergens at the same time. Good luck.

[Izak's Mom]

Anyone with type 1 kids and celiac?

Out of curiousity, I checked PubMed (an online database of medical articles/clinical trials/other publications) and found Open Original Shared Link.

According to this study, there is a link between type 1 diabetes and and increased risk for celiac.

-E

[Ursa Major]

The advice you've had this far is excellent advice. I just want to add that sometimes bowel problems (especially not knowing you have to go) can be related to misaligned vertebra (the cause can be as innocent as falling on your bum, which little kids do all the time). So, not to miss anything, I'd also see a chiropractor and have him checked and adjusted for subluxations. I've heard stories from friends and some family members of a child miraculously toilet trained overnight after being adjusted by a chiropractor.

Irritability is also a common symptom of celiac disease, so I'd definetely check it out. If his bloodwork comes back negative, you might just want to go ahead and try the gluten-free diet, to see if it makes a difference. In children under five both the bloodwork and the biopsy yield a very high percentage of false negatives. The diet trial is a valid test, too.

[selketine]

Thanks for the info. I do know that celiac is more common among type 1's than in the general population and that is one reason that we had him tested for it routinely (along with thyroid problems) when he was dx'd with diabetes.

I will follow up with the doctor this week on this. I am reluctant to put him on a gluten free diet without knowing that is the problem because he is already restricted by the diabetes and the peanut/tree nut allergy. Of course I realize the diagosis is sometimes missed by blood work and other tests. It seems like he must have some problem or another to have so many bowel movements a day so I'll keep investigating.