Celiac --dementia

[KarenLee]

I saw on a major news channel a quick 15 second clip about how people with Celiac disease have a greater risk of dementia. I was getting the kids ready for school and didn't hear the entire piece...BUT, Too bad it didn't go into exactly what Celiac disease is--symptoms, etc.! Americans need to be more aware. I think is greatly underdiagnosed.

Karen

[jennyj]

I agree.

[Guest melannen]

I saw on a major news channel a quick 15 second clip about how people with Celiac disease have a greater risk of dementia. I was getting the kids ready for school and didn't hear the entire piece...BUT, Too bad it didn't go into exactly what Celiac disease is--symptoms, etc.! Americans need to be more aware. I think is greatly underdiagnosed.

Karen

My grandmother has dementia, her father (my great-grandfather) did too. It's very probable that my mother will also develop dementia. I'm already scared that it'll happen to me as well....

Do you know if there's somewhere I can read/watch the clip?? What news program was it??

[KarenLee]

My grandmother has dementia, her father (my great-grandfather) did too. It's very probable that my mother will also develop dementia. I'm already scared that it'll happen to me as well....

Do you know if there's somewhere I can read/watch the clip?? What news program was it??

Here is an article that someone on this site/board posted, and I can't remember who it was, or what topic, even! I'm telling you, I have such a foggy brain like this all the time, sorry... but here is the article she posted: (I happened to have copy and pasted it in an e-mail that I just sent to my Dad who has a wife with dementia...)

Celiac Disease Linked to Dementia

Gluten-Free Diet May Reverse Mental Decline in Patients

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

on Friday, October 13, 2006

Oct. 13, 2006 -- Adults who develop the digestive condition known as celiac disease appear to be at increased risk for dementia , according to new research from the Mayo Clinic.

Celiac disease is a disorder caused by an immune reaction to eating gluten, found in some grains such as wheat, barely, and rye. Damage occurs to the inner lining of the small intestine. Classic symptoms include chronic diarrhea, weight loss, cramping, bloating, and gas.

About 10% of celiac patients have some neurologic symptoms, such as numbness and pain. But a link to dementia and other forms of mental decline has not been widely reported.

Mayo Clinic neurologist Keith A. Josephs, MD, MST, tells WebMD that he first made the connection when examining a patient suspected of having the fatal brain disorder Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

The patient did not have CJD, but he did have celiac disease. He also had rapid-onset dementia, which coincided with the onset of diarrhea and other well-recognized symptoms of the digestive disease.

"I wanted to find out if the dementia was related to the celiac disease," Josephs says.

Gluten-Free Diet Reversed Dementia

Josephs and colleagues including William T. Hu, MD, PhD, examined the medical histories of 13 patients who showed evidence of serious mental declines within two years of developing symptoms of celiac disease.

The patients were between the ages of 45 and 79, and their average age was 64.

In five cases, celiac symptoms and mental decline occurred simultaneously. Two of the patients also recovered mental function when they followed gluten-free diets, and mental function stabilized in one patient.

Avoiding wheat and other gluten-containing grains is the main treatment for celiac disease.

"This is a big deal," Josephs says. "It is almost unheard of to see a reversal in dementia or cognitive decline."

The next step, he says, is to try and figure out the connection between celiac disease and mental deterioration. One theory is that the immune response to celiac disease attacks the brain. Another is that the disease causes inflammation within the brain, which triggers dementia.

Mayo clinic gastroenterologist and celiac disease expert Joseph Murray, MD, says he was surprised that the link was so strong.

"I was not expecting that there would be so many celiac disease patients with cognitive decline," he said.

Celiac Often Misdiagnosed

Celiac disease is common, occurring in about one in 133 people, Murray says. But it is often misdiagnosed or missed altogether due to the vague nature of the symptoms.

The new findings give doctors an added reason to identify patients with celiac disease and to treat patients who have been diagnosed, the researchers conclude.

That means ruling out celiac disease in patients who have atypical forms of dementia and being watchful for mental decline in celiac patients.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOURCES: Hu, W.T. Archives of Neurology, October 2006; vol 63, online edition. Keith A. Josephs, MD, MST, neurologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Joseph A. Murray, MD, gastroenterologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

© 2006 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.

[KarenLee]

Above, I said, ""Americans need to be more aware.""

Sorry, This has been bothering me. Of course, this should say, The whole world needs to be more aware!