Why Does Removing Gluten Makes Symptoms More Obvious

[sugarsue]

Do you know why, before my daughter went gluten free, it was not obvious that it was the gluten making her sick but now that she's been gluten free for 4 1/2 months, she's like a gluten detector and cross contamination by eating something made on shared equipment will make her sick almost immediately?

Same thing with me, I'm allergic to wheat and it used to be that I didn't notice any specific symptoms except I had periodic horrible itching but it was not all the time and I ate wheat every day without seeming sick or overly uncomfortable. Now that I've been wheat free for some time, any wheat at all gives me the dreaded itchies.

I keep wondering why it took us so long to figure it all out when it seems so painfully obvious now. Thanks for your thoughts.

[happygirl]

I don't have the answer, but have seen this topic referenced:

"Celiac disease is the result of an immune response to gluten. Gluten exclusion removes the antigen that stimulates CD4 T-cell-mediated tissue damage in the gut, but does not remove the immune response. In fact, gluten exclusion may heighten the immune response stimulated by gluten since regulatory T cells are typically not maintained unless antigen exposure continues. This may explain why gluten exposure triggers more dramatic symptoms following adoption of a gluten-free diet than during chronic gluten exposure associated with untreated celiac disease."

The above is from an abstract of a chapter in the book: Fasano A, Troncone R, Branski D (eds): Frontiers in Celiac Disease. Pediatr Adolesc Med. Basel, Karger, 2008, vol 12, pp 172

[sugarsue]

I don't have the answer, but have seen this topic referenced:

"Celiac disease is the result of an immune response to gluten. Gluten exclusion removes the antigen that stimulates CD4 T-cell-mediated tissue damage in the gut, but does not remove the immune response. In fact, gluten exclusion may heighten the immune response stimulated by gluten since regulatory T cells are typically not maintained unless antigen exposure continues. This may explain why gluten exposure triggers more dramatic symptoms following adoption of a gluten-free diet than during chronic gluten exposure associated with untreated celiac disease."

The above is from an abstract of a chapter in the book: Fasano A, Troncone R, Branski D (eds): Frontiers in Celiac Disease. Pediatr Adolesc Med. Basel, Karger, 2008, vol 12, pp 172

[Stefani]

I don't have the answer, but have seen this topic referenced:

"Celiac disease is the result of an immune response to gluten. Gluten exclusion removes the antigen that stimulates CD4 T-cell-mediated tissue damage in the gut, but does not remove the immune response. In fact, gluten exclusion may heighten the immune response stimulated by gluten since regulatory T cells are typically not maintained unless antigen exposure continues. This may explain why gluten exposure triggers more dramatic symptoms following adoption of a gluten-free diet than during chronic gluten exposure associated with untreated celiac disease."

The above is from an abstract of a chapter in the book: Fasano A, Troncone R, Branski D (eds): Frontiers in Celiac Disease. Pediatr Adolesc Med. Basel, Karger, 2008, vol 12, pp 172

[loxleynew]

Thank you so much for that article - I thought I was losing my mind! I was wondering why my accidental ingestion of allergen food symptoms were getting WAY WORSE since I adopted an allergy free diet. I think this may explain what is going on with me.

So essentially would this mean if I went gluten free for 3-4 months, then ate gluten and felt normal that I did not have gluten intolerance or celiac? I was just wondering because I was never diagnosed, as 1/8 of the tests said I had sensitivity and the rest were normal.

[Amyleigh0007]

I don't agree with that at all. My son's symptoms have gone away now that he has been gluten free for almost one year. He was diagnosed Celiac through bloodtest and biopsy. For a child of his age, both his pediatrician and GI said they were shocked at his high numbers and damaged small intestine. There is no doubt about it that he has Celiac. He ate some bun off of a hamburger a few weeks ago. He did not have any symptoms other than a bit of sleepiness. Nothing even close to his symptoms before he went gluten free. So, according to that article, my son doesn't have Celiac? That is insane. Read the thread about the rain barrel effect. That makes much more sense.

[happygirl]

The quote posted is just a very brief abstract of an entire chapter. I don't believe the author is suggesting that someone in your son's condition does not have Celiac. But -for those that do have a heightened response, it may be the mechanism behind it.

[mamaesq]

I've been gluten-free since October 2, and I can think of 5 times that I've ingested gluten (only once was intentional...it was after my grandfather died and I was eating pizza in part because it was St. Louis style and I haven't had it in years, but also, it was part of grieving for me...I learned THAT lesson).

The first time was about 2 weeks after going gluten-free, I ate a salad at Applebees and had stomach cramps and major gas.

The second time was after eating out (hmmm...notiing a trend) and despite assurances that what I ate would be ok, I had explosive diarrhea and gas.

The third time was Thanksgiving when my mom used regular stuffing in the bird, and despite my best efforts to eat only breast meat, I had diarrhea for 4 days.

The fourth time was when I ate the pizza. I did not have diarrhea, but I did have horrible nausea and about six BMs the next day.

The fifth time was after eating out, I ate chili which again, I was assured did not have wheat in it, and that night, not only did I have diarrhea, but I had projectile vomiting. I checked the ingredient list on their website and saw that the chili did have wheat in it. I felt completely fine the next day, so I knew I didn't have a stomach bug.

My symptoms have gotten so much worse each time, it's unreal. My mom (who was diagnosed the same day I was) did not believe me that I was vomiting over it, but there is no other explanation. I am to the point where I am truly afraid of gluten, not just because of the long term consequences, but because of the immediate effects!!

[ang1e0251]

We have to remember, we are all individuals with different reactions. Also there is a lot we don't know about celiac disease. Why one person reacts violently and another mildly may not be something we understand completely. Remember that dr's thought kids would "grow" out of it because many stopped reacting? Well, we learned that was false. There's just a lot of mystery still with this disease and sometimes we just have to accept that.

On the other hand, when we discuss these issues many times a point of view appears that may explain a group's certain reactions. It's all good but IMO, you shouldn't make yourself too crazy if you can pinpoint every answer.