Celiac And Pleurisy

[Kurban]

Dear all,

I have the celiac disease (was asymptomatic, diagnosed 2.5 years ago am 42 and gluten free) and last year I had a very sharp stabbing pain under my left ribs. Was diagnosed with pleurisy and inflammation of the pleura with a very mild pleural effusion. I had pain for six months, and the symptoms disappeared. However, on the 1st anniversary of the pain in early June I started to have the sharp pains again.

I was tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus with a simple blood test and was found to be negative. Every other test comes back normal except for a low platelet (last one 111 and normal should be above 140).

I know auto immune disorders can cause inflammation including the inflammation of the pleura but am wondering if there is any link with celiac disease. Any input and feedback will be appreciated. I am freaking out because the pulmonary specialist said I need to have surgery and biopsy for a diagnosis.

Kurban.

[wowzer]

I don't know if it has a link to celiac disease. I also have had pleuresy a couple of times. I suppose with a compromised immune system anything is possible.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Don't know--but I also had pleurisy a couple of years ago.

[trents]

I had pluerisy almost a year ago on the left side and probably a little pneumonia at the same time. I am 56 years old now. It was excruciatingly painful for a couple of days. I was put on anti inflamatories and an antibiotic. It got better after a few days but the pain persisted to some degree for about 2 weeks.

Steve

[weathertopmama]

I had pleurisy, too, at age 25.

[sparkles]

I think that there is a major link between celiac disease and many other disorders. Some are direct links; others are a result of your body not having the strength to fight off diseases. Face it, when we were eating G, we were basically destroying the part of our body that was absorbing the vitamins and minerals our bodies needed to remain healthy. Since I have gone gluten-free, I no longer have as many colds, infections, etc. Eating right and being able to absorb the things our bodies need has made me a healthier person. I had plurasy several times in the past. It is not fun! The longer that you are able to control your diet and heal, the healthier you will get!

[trents]

Since going gluten free I have considerably fewer colds than I used to as well. There are days, though, even now, when I feel run down and ache all over. Maybe its just being 56 but maybe it has somenting to do with a body whose immune system is on edge.

Steve

[The One]

wow, I did not know there might be a connection, about a year ago I began having pains on my left side ribcage, no doctor did anything about it [no insurance] it began at about the same time I did a celiac test through enterolab and started on the diet. Now just a few days ago I ended up in the ER with very sharp pain on the ribcage, shoulder and arm weakness and told it looked like a pleurisy. Now I'm going to a specialist [waiting on insurance approval] it's good to hear it is not something too serious aside from the horrible pain.

[balena]

Hi

I have read what you have put about having pain under the left rib cage.I have been diagnoised with celiac 3yrs now and have had this extreme pain in my left rib cage now for a full year and my doc has done nothing but prscribe me more pain pills ,which does not help with the pain.I do not want any more pills,I want this fixed.I am suffering way too long now and am worried what it might be.I went for thorax tests and came up neg.and have quit smoking.I get alot of lung pnomonia back to back and don't know why.Neither does my doc.Does anybody know what i can do about this,or ask the doc to do.I can;t take much more.

[Chellstan]

I have celiac and recurring pleurisy. I 100% agree there is a connection and wish someone would research this. The only thing that can knock the pleurisy out is steroids (prednisone.) I am strict 100% freak about being gluten free. However, I believe when I accidentally eat gluten, I get pleurisy.

[Mariekt]

On 7/20/2019 at 5:39 PM, Chellstan said:

I have celiac and recurring pleurisy. I 100% agree there is a connection and wish someone would research this. The only thing that can knock the pleurisy out is steroids (prednisone.) I am strict 100% freak about being gluten free. However, I believe when I accidentally eat gluten, I get pleurisy.

I find it interesting that you get pleurisy when you accidentally eat gluten. I ended up in the ER this past August with a right side pleural effusion that had almost completely collapsed my right lung along with a severely swollen lymph node on the right side of my neck. I stopped eating gluten 10 years ago but over the past 2 years I've been eating out at restaurants more. While I order from the gluten-free menus, I think I've been getting cross contaminated with gluten over the past 2 years because my health has deteriorated over that time. I know I've had fluid in chest for over a year but it got worse in August because I ate at a restaurant where I think I got full on gluten. A few days later I had a sharp pain in my right ribcage. I already had a chronic cough for over a year and pressure in my chest that prohibited me from lying down. The fluid has continued to accumulate in my chest requiring a procedure to drain it, but when I stopped eating out and eliminated all grains from my diet 3 weeks ago, the fluid seems to have stopped accumulating. I've had tons of blood tests, biopsies, and scans because my doctors thought I had lymphoma but all have been negative. I am seeing some specialists now for further testing but I truly believe the pleural effusions are due to accidentally ingesting gluten in food that has been cross contaminated at the restaurants I've eaten at. I too wish someone would research the correlation. It would prevent a lot of suffering.

[cristiana]

On 7/20/2007 at 4:37 AM, trents said:

Since going gluten free I have considerably fewer colds than I used to as well. There are days, though, even now, when I feel run down and ache all over. Maybe its just being 56 but maybe it has somenting to do with a body whose immune system is on edge.

 

Steve

I totally agree.  I have those days when I feel run down and ache all over.  And I've been feeling this way on and off since my diagnosis at 45.  

 

[Fredo]

Greetings, I was diagnosed with Celiac about 4 years ago, suffering all of the extreme symptoms due to the late diagnosis in life, I am 51 now.  When I was 17 I also suffered pleurisy...  Just adding another potential affirmation...

 

[EEvans]

I have days where I ache all over and feel generally knocked out. I have found that this usually occurs after I have deviated from my gluten-free safe zone of eating at home. Cross-contamination is a given when eating out even when ordering from a gluten-free menu. It is impossible to avoid contamination from kitchen utensils in a kitchen that is not itself gluten-free. And the next day I feel like I've been hit by a truck. I try to take Gliadin-X now in anticipation of cross-contamination and it does seem to help. The holidays have been particularly awful for cross contamination at gatherings.

[Posterboy]

On 1/7/2020 at 12:21 AM, Mariekt said:

I find it interesting that you get pleurisy when you accidentally eat gluten. I ended up in the ER this past August with a right side pleural effusion that had almost completely collapsed my right lung along with a severely swollen lymph node on the right side of my neck. I stopped eating gluten 10 years ago but over the past 2 years I've been eating out at restaurants more. While I order from the gluten-free menus, I think I've been getting cross contaminated with gluten over the past 2 years because my health has deteriorated over that time. I know I've had fluid in chest for over a year but it got worse in August because I ate at a restaurant where I think I got full on gluten. A few days later I had a sharp pain in my right ribcage. I already had a chronic cough for over a year and pressure in my chest that prohibited me from lying down. The fluid has continued to accumulate in my chest requiring a procedure to drain it, but when I stopped eating out and eliminated all grains from my diet 3 weeks ago, the fluid seems to have stopped accumulating. I've had tons of blood tests, biopsies, and scans because my doctors thought I had lymphoma but all have been negative. I am seeing some specialists now for further testing but I truly believe the pleural effusions are due to accidentally ingesting gluten in food that has been cross contaminated at the restaurants I've eaten at. I too wish someone would research the correlation. It would prevent a lot of suffering.

Mariekt,

I saw you are also active on the chronic cough thread....Knitty Kitty said something that struck me as something that might help you...I had only read it recently so it made since when she mentioned water collecting in our organs....the website hormone matters is the expert on Beri Beri...they explain how a thiamine deficiency can mimick water in the lungs aka Pleurisy.....I used to have a lot of bronchitis issue's...eating gluten free helped that....but I also had taken a B-complex which has thiamine in it also at the same time that I think now helped...I didn't know why at the time...here is the Hormone Matter's link on how Beri Beri can mimick things even as complex as pleurisy today...https://www.hormonesmatter.com/beriberi-the-great-imitator/ see their discussion/paragraph on the general symptoms of Beri Beri in it's late stages..for other's following this thread here is what they say about Pleurisy or water in the lungs.... quoting "In later stages, fluid is found in the pleural cavity, surrounding the heart in the pericardium and in the abdomen. Fluid in body cavities is usually ascribed to other “more modern” causes and beriberi is not likely to be considered. There may be low grade fever, usually giving rise to a search for an infection. We are all aware that such symptoms come from other causes, but a diet history might suggest that beriberi is a possibility in the differential diagnosis." end quote ...read the whole article when you get  a chance...who know it might help your chronic cough too!.... I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

EDTA: I misquoted pleurisy for pulmonary edema. ...pleurisy is the pain you feel from the edema (water or other fluid) in the lungs..

Edited January 8, 2020 by Posterboy
EDTA: I misquoted a medical condition added difference for clarity

[Mariekt]

3 hours ago, Posterboy said:

Mariekt,

I saw you are also active on the chronic cough thread....Knitty Kitty said something that struck me as something that might help you...I had only read it recently so it made since when she mentioned water collecting in our organs....the website hormone matters is the expert on Beri Beri...they explain how a thiamine deficiency can mimick water in the lungs aka Pleurisy.....I used to have a lot of bronchitis issue's...eating gluten free helped that....but I also had taken a B-complex which has thiamine in it also at the same time that I think now helped...I didn't know why at the time...here is the Hormone Matter's link on how Beri Beri can mimick things even as complex as pleurisy today...https://www.hormonesmatter.com/beriberi-the-great-imitator/ see their discussion/paragraph on the general symptoms of Beri Beri in it's late stages..for other's following this thread here is what they say about Pleurisy or water in the lungs.... quoting "In later stages, fluid is found in the pleural cavity, surrounding the heart in the pericardium and in the abdomen. Fluid in body cavities is usually ascribed to other “more modern” causes and beriberi is not likely to be considered. There may be low grade fever, usually giving rise to a search for an infection. We are all aware that such symptoms come from other causes, but a diet history might suggest that beriberi is a possibility in the differential diagnosis." end quote ...read the whole article when you get  a chance...who know it might help your chronic cough too!.... I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

EDTA: I misquoted pleurisy for pulmonary edema. ...pleurisy is the pain you feel from the edema (water or other fluid) in the lungs..

OMG! I just read the article and am speechless! Could my health issues be caused by a thiamine deficiency? I am going to talk to my doctor and pick up a thiamine supplement in the meantime. Thank you so much for sharing this! So glad I found this thread! Oh, and I do have fluid in my chest cavity.

[SBJohn]

On 1/8/2020 at 6:58 PM, Mariekt said:

OMG! I just read the article and am speechless! Could my health issues be caused by a thiamine deficiency? I am going to talk to my doctor and pick up a thiamine supplement in the meantime. Thank you so much for sharing this! So glad I found this thread! Oh, and I do have fluid in my chest cavity.

Mariekt,

I was diagnosed with DH 18 years ago at the age of 42 and later started to experience celiac GI symptoms. Dapsone has lured me through most of the time to think it was okay to have an occasional sandwich or other gluten treat like a piece of cake. Speeding up to the present time...I had two extractions last week of fluid from my right chest cavity, 3.1 liters total. Doctors said it had been accumulating over a long period of time. I'm wondering if the fluid came from the abdomen or the pleural in the chest. I was told it can pass from abdomen to chest cavity. I have a slightly enlarged spleen and abdominal fluid as well but not enough to extract. I was interested to hear about thiamine deficiency as a possible cause. Also, I'm wondering if on exposure to gluten, and suffering a backed up digestive system with all the discomfort, this event could also cause fluid to build up in the abdomen.

[Scott Adams]

Welcome to the forum, but this thread is over 3 years old so you may not hear back from some of the original posters. 

Are you on a gluten-free diet?

[SBJohn]

1 minute ago, Scott Adams said:

Welcome to the forum, but this thread is over 3 years old so you may not hear back from some of the original posters. 

Are you on a gluten-free diet?

I am, but only strictly gluten free since June this year when I became ill. I tried to stop Dapsone this week and only lasted 4 days before rashes took over. Now my doctors are trying to determine where the chest fluid came from in light of all bloodwork and CT scans have come back negative for cancer and other diseases. My pulmonary doctor is focused on the right lung that was compressed by the fluid. I have an appointment mid-December with a GI celiac specialist in Los Angeles, but I can't wait that long to get a diagnosis. I will be doing a PET scan next week.

[Scott Adams]

You may want to look at some of our past articles that include references to lung issues and celiac disease:

https://www.celiac.com/search/?q=lung&quick=1&type=cms_records2