Do Celiacs Have A Weaker Immune System?

[ptkds]

I was wondering if Celiacs have a weakened immune system.

The reason I ask is because myself and my dd's seem to constantly get sick. And now my dd possible has chicken pox, even though she has had the vaccine. She constantly has a runny nose, either from allergies or a cold of some sort. I always seem to get the stuff going around, and it always seems to be worse than what my dh gets or my other dd's.

Just something I have been wondering about lately!

[MELINE]

I was wondering if Celiacs have a weakened immune system.

The reason I ask is because myself and my dd's seem to constantly get sick. And now my dd possible has chicken pox, even though she has had the vaccine. She constantly has a runny nose, either from allergies or a cold of some sort. I always seem to get the stuff going around, and it always seems to be worse than what my dh gets or my other dd's.

Just something I have been wondering about lately!

hello

check this:

"It is important to remember that the immune system of a person with celiac disease is weak. The auto-immune system functions at a lower-than-normal level. Infections may not be handled as well as in other people. Stamina and resilience may not be at the level they once were. Most vitamins, food supplements and over-the-counter medications are based on and measured for persons at full-functioning, full-absorbing levels. A person with celiac disease may need less or perhaps more of a particular vitamin, mineral or medication. Again, working with a monitoring physician will help determine what and how much is the appropriate allowance of a particular medical or supplemental product."

i found it here: Open Original Shared Link

[Krystens mummy]

I was wondering if Celiacs have a weakened immune system.

The reason I ask is because myself and my dd's seem to constantly get sick. And now my dd possible has chicken pox, even though she has had the vaccine. She constantly has a runny nose, either from allergies or a cold of some sort. I always seem to get the stuff going around, and it always seems to be worse than what my dh gets or my other dd's.

Just something I have been wondering about lately!

something to think about. My dd also looked like she had chicken pox at nine months. Took her to the doc cos she wasnt sleeping. Doc thought it was chicken pox. Turns out she went gluten free and it vanished. yours may have chicken pox but it's something to keep in mind.

[YoloGx]

I agree we usually have a weakened immune systems, mainly because of the ravages of having this for so long in an inhospitable environment plus all those courses of antibiotics etc. etc.!!

However its my understanding that once one has really healed for long enough one's immune system gets stronger than the average person. I know for myself that at least in the past I was always more resistant to parasites and bacterial infections, which they say is common for our type and that my grandmother eventually never got ill despite being a sicky for most of her younger life.

Also, by avoiding all glutens we tend then to avoid cancer and various other degenerative diseases. We also tend to live longer and have more flexible bodies.

While we are suffering being still CC'd etc. and still have unhealed villi however, we are sitting canaries. Its important thus to take plenty of enzymes like pancreatin and pro-biotics to help counteract that. Plus fibronylitic enzymes (bromelain/papain and nattokinase or serrapeptidase or serrapeptase) to heal the villi plus marshmallow root in case the intestines get inflamed.

I also take dandelion root to help out my overtaxed liver from all the continued leaky gut syndrome "allergic" symptoms and skullcap plus co-enzyme B vitamins to help support and rebuild my weakened nervous system and cod liver oil for the A and D plus Omega 3'sto help with mineral absorption etc. plus kelp to help counteract a slight tendency to low thyroid (kelp is not good if you get DH however).

By the way, taking the co-enzyme B's have gone a long way towards making me less likely to get colds and congestion in general. I think in the old days people ate more fresh fermented foods, which would do pretty much the same thing. Unfortunately for me however I am allergic now to most fermented anything except plain nonfat yogurt. I hope in time this will change as I heal more and more.

Bea

[ravenwoodglass]

However its my understanding that once one has really healed for long enough one's immune system gets stronger than the average person. I know for myself that at least in the past I was always more resistant to parasites and bacterial infections, which they say is common for our type and that my grandmother eventually never got ill despite being a sicky for most of her younger life.

Bea

This has been the case for my family. I can't remember the last time I got even a cold and the same applies for other family members. Before diagnosis we would seem to always have a cold or bronchitits or some sort of virus of some kind.

The reason for the autoimmune diseases is because our immune systems are in hyperdrive before diagnosis. I don't think it is weak it just has so much work to fight the gluten that it can't do much else. This was my doctors explination for all the allergies and poor virus resistance I had prediagnosis. I tend to agree with him.

[AliB]

As a child I missed a lot of school as I always had colds (and was always given the dreaded AB's!) - I hadn't thought about that until now but this has made me realise that was probably a Celiac indicator even back then. It is something that has plagued me for years - I would catch everything going - I had been thinking that it started when I was 15 as that is when the fatigue kicked in but the colds clue is a much earlier indicator.

Two weeks after going gluten-free I caught a rotten virus which knocked me right back down, but I have to say that since then (3 months) I haven't gone down with anything which is fantastic. I will be chuffed to bits if it keeps on like this.........

[darlindeb25]

"It is important to remember that the immune system of a person with celiac disease is weak. The auto-immune system functions at a lower-than-normal level. Infections may not be handled as well as in other people. Stamina and resilience may not be at the level they once were. Most vitamins, food supplements and over-the-counter medications are based on and measured for persons at full-functioning, full-absorbing levels. A person with celiac disease may need less or perhaps more of a particular vitamin, mineral or medication. Again, working with a monitoring physician will help determine what and how much is the appropriate allowance of a particular medical or supplemental product."

I too, find this to only be true of the celiac who has not healed yet. Once you have been gluten free for some time, your immune system gets better than average. It seems like a celiac's immune system spends more time fighting itself, then it does worrying about outside influences. I rarely ever pick up viruses, rarely ever catch colds, yet my body will fight battles with itself--such as all of it's intolerance's! If I do get a bug, it does seem to take longer for me to get better, yet it is very rare for me to catch anything. Last summer, I had major surgery, about 2 months later, I did pick up a bug, and ran a fever of 102, which put me in bed for a day--very unusual for me, I drug myself to the doctor and was put on an antibiotic. I do think the surgery lowered my defenses though. Otherwise, I think we develop a strong immuse system for outside influences, once we are gluten free for good.

[JNBunnie1]

I too, find this to only be true of the celiac who has not healed yet. Once you have been gluten free for some time, your immune system gets better than average. It seems like a celiac's immune system spends more time fighting itself, then it does worrying about outside influences. I rarely ever pick up viruses, rarely ever catch colds, yet my body will fight battles with itself--such as all of it's intolerance's! If I do get a bug, it does seem to take longer for me to get better, yet it is very rare for me to catch anything. Last summer, I had major surgery, about 2 months later, I did pick up a bug, and ran a fever of 102, which put me in bed for a day--very unusual for me, I drug myself to the doctor and was put on an antibiotic. I do think the surgery lowered my defenses though. Otherwise, I think we develop a strong immuse system for outside influences, once we are gluten free for good.

I've found that I do still get sick, but it's nothing like it used to be. Now, a bad cold means a headache and a stuffy nose. I take Advil, I blow my nose, I go to work. Before? Home for three days in agony and weak and sick and..... You get the idea. I'm the only one that doesn't call out of work when the flu goes around.

[ptkds]

My dd's and I have been gluten-free for 1.5 yrs, with the occasional accidental glutening. But a few months ago, I got the flu for the first time in my life. I'm serious, I have NEVER had the flu. But I got it and it took ALOT out of me. My dh got it, but it barely touched him. Same with my dd's. It seems like I get sick alot more now than before going gluten-free. And my dd#3 (the one that got chicken pox) is having more problems than any one else, too. And she is the one that gets glutened the least amount.

I'm just trying to figure this all out, and tonight probably isn't the best night! I have a bad headache.

[YoloGx]

My thinking is that this too will pass. Maybe you have been getting CC'd without knowing it?

Like I said too, you might need stronger, better B vitamins like the co-enzyme ones, or fermented foods and maybe more vitamin D and liquid trace minerals etc.

[wowzer]

I know for me that my immune system has improved immensely since going gluten free. I do have a problem with many medications. The last time that I was into the doctor for a sinus infection, he did give me a lower dose of antibiotics. I still ended up having a reaction. He does agree that the reactions that I have had have been because it was too much for my system. Before I went gluten free, I had chronic sinus infections that no antibiotic seemed to touch. I am sure that I wasn't absorbing them then. I try to avoid taking anything that I don't have to. I do take Singulair and Synthroid.

[Guest AutumnE]

It took me over two years but Im finally near back to where I should be. My hair is growing in finally and this winter none of my family was sick. We were exposed to sick people a few times but nothing came of it. Its the first time in years for me not to get sick during cold and flu season.

We are on elderberry also but I think gluten free had an effect on it too.

[monkeypuss]

this is so interesting and is yet another thing thats convincing me my gastroenterologists feelings are right, that i have celiacs. i have always had a really bad immune system, all my friends and family comment on it. I get every cold going around and always seem to get them really bad, as does my mum and my nan did (my nan on that side being a celiac too). Also since i've been eating gluten in readiness for my biopsy i've noticed my bones have started cracking really loudly again that went away when i was off gluten weirdly

[par18]

I think something like this varies with the individual. I for one have not had so much as a cold in the past three years since going gluten free. A couple of times I thought I was beginning to feel the effects of a "bug" but nothing has lasted more than about 24 hours. I feel as though my immune system is stronger than the average person since it is no longer reacting to "gluten exposure".

Tom

[mushroom]

I have always had a worthless immune system from when I was a small child. Caught everything going, and a cold always turned into a secondary infection, mainly lungs. Now I have an auto-immune disease that being gluten-free is not have any effect on (psoriatic arthritis) so I have to continue the immuno-suppressant drugs. I asked my rheumatologist if I was fighting myself by taking them and and also taking immune system boosters like massive Vitamin C doses, Wellness Formula, etc., and he had no answer.

One month after going gluten-free I caught the worst case of flu I have ever had, followed by three weeks of acute bronchitis, after exposure at my bridge club, so have had to resign from that this year to try to stay healthy. I will have to ask my new rheumatologist if there is any point in trying to boost the immune system while on immuno-suppressant medication. That said, a couple of weeks ago I thought I was coming down with a cold and was able to fight it off with Vitamin C, and a NZ equivalent of Wellness Formula. So maybe there is hope yet.

[KNS]

My 5yr old has celiac - he has been on a strictly gluten-free diet for 2 years. He rarely ever gets sick - and if he does, he heals very quickly. (His non-celiac sister catches plenty more viral infections than he does...) In my opinion, his immune system is much more effective at fighting the viruses and bacteria now that it is not attacking gliadin all of the time. I would imagine, however, that even a very small amount of gluten in a celiac's diet would compromise the immune system's ability to fight off other invaders... (because the body's resources are being used to fight the gliadin from the gluten and not as available to ward off other infections/illnesses...) so, I would assume that even an occasional, accidental gluten consumption could inhibit your body's ability to fight off viruses and/or bacteria...