How Do You Get Celiac

[Guest gliX]

I learned I had celiac 2 years ago and have been gluten-free since. Does that mean I was born with the disease? No one in my immediate family tested positive for celiac, except my aunt and most of my cousins recently tested positive. We suspect my grandpa might've had it but don't want to test him for it at this time, he is 90 and very weak. Can celiac be given from one person to another other than through genes. If so, how exactly? Can it be given through physical contact? Thanks.

[KaitiUSA]

Celiac disease is not contagious and can not be given to anyone through contact, kissing, etc.... You are born with the predisposition and genes for it but it may not be activated until something triggers it later in life. If there are family members who have it that shows it runs in the family. It is a genetic autoimmune disease. It can be triggered at any point in life. I was always healthy growing up then mono triggered my celiac. Celiac can be triggered by surgeries,stress, childbirth, viruses such as mono, and so forth. There is a small percentage of people without the gene.

[Carriefaith]

Most people that have the gene for celiac are either born with celiac or they get it later in life. For those who get it later in life, I think the gene stays off until an environmental or physical stress triggers the gene on, resulting in celiac. I think there is a small percent of people that get celiac without the gene.

Celiac is not a virus or a bacterial infection, therefore, you cannot "catch" it. However, you can pass it on to your kids through your genes.

[celiac3270]

Yes...Celiac cannot be given to anyone else, except of course, through genes. You didn't necessarily have celiac a birth, but you had a genetic predisposition to it...HLA DQ2 and DQ8....then the celiac had to be triggered, such as with surgery or high-stress situations. Once triggered, of course, you have it. Of course, triggers aren't contained to a high-stress situation, surgery, etc.....

The fact that you have it means that someone else in your family had it before you. It could be a parent, it could be a grandparent on either side of your family, or even one of their parents....

[Guest gliX]

Oh, I didn't think it could be sent through physical contact, just curious. Has gene therapy successfully been used to this point to cure celiac disease? (by correcting or replacing the gene that triggers celiec disease)

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Isn't it the symptoms which the triggers bring out?

[KaitiUSA]

It can trigger symptoms to start but it doesn't have to. Some people just don't get symptoms.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Right, that's why I think all of us are born with it and then we see the symptoms.

[Lesliean]

I always wonder when they say some people get Celiac disease who don't have the genes because there are documented cases, around 2%, who have HLA DQ1 or DQ3. While those with DQ1 and DQ3 generally present with neurological symptoms and often gastro symptoms, they often flunk the gold standard biopsy test. (If you look at gluten ataxia which is resolved with a gluten free diet and has positive serology for anti-glaindins, DQ2 is 70%, DQ8 is 10%, and DQ1 is 20% so there are a lot of gluten sensitive people out there who need to be on a gfd who are not DQ2 or 8).

So, I think we can pretty well trace all Celiac disease back to a genetic predisposition of DQ2 of 90%, DQ8 of 8%, and DQ1 of 2% and sometimes DQ3. If we take away the biopsy for the diagnosis and use gluten relieved symptoms and positive serology instead the numbers go way up and include more DQ 1 nd 3. I know I've had it all my life and I carry two copies of DQ1. Others have symptoms as children and it goes away till adulthood and others are triggered by a trauma, but all have the genetic markers for it. It even seems the symptoms you tend to get are most often typical of the genetic makeup you have. DQ2 and 8 are very sensitive gastro markers and 1 often is gluten ataxia, and 3 has its particular tendencies, and so on. This is cutting edge science.

brain.hastypastry.net has a posting for a immunization that may be coming out but their board is down right now so I can't add the link. Will try to add it tomorrow.

Leslie

[Guest gliX]

What exactly would an immunization do? Is this a cure for the disease?

[KaitiUSA]

There is no cure for the disease as of now and there won't be one for a while. They are only in researching stages for things. The only thing is the gluten free diet.

[ianm]

A pill or an immunization for this disease is just not the way to go. It is much better to live a healthy lifestyle. A drug just so I can eat crap is just plain wrong. At the risk of sounding like a consipiracy theorist a drug to cure this disease is not going to do you any good. All it will do is cover up the symptoms not treat the source of the disease. This way Pfizer gets rich because you buy their pill so you can eat ConAgra's genetically engineered crap . Not a good thing at all .

[Lesliean]

Kaiti is right, the GFD is the only cure and I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I shouldn't be allowed to use a computere after 10PM! Still can't get the brain.hastypastry.net to open so I'll let you know what this far off dream note says when I get a chance to copy it over for you.

I'm just glad there is a cure-the diet- and that I am not taking a medicine with side effects for the rest of my life.

PS-Even my asthma is going away now that I am gluten-free. Wow.

Leslie

[skbird]

I'm with Ianm on this one - I guess the only benefit I can see is for the "oops!" factor (accidental glutening) but then again as lazy as most people are (myself included) if I didn't react anymore I'd probably eat a lot more junk. Though at this point I may be selling myself short, I have been eating great food for 3 years now and loving it! When people ask me how I can stand going to three different stores for groceries, spending extra money, etc, I say hey, this is my life-long hobby and I LOVE it!

And as you can see in my signature, I'm a DQ1/DQ3 so maybe I don't have true Celiac but I'm definitely paying for having an "oops" this last weekend... Hopefully it will be over soon...

Stephanie

[KaitiUSA]

I do agree with Ian....the gluten free diet is just a healthier and better way to go even when they discover something years off.

[Guest gfinnebraska]

I could eat anything until giving birth to my sons. That triggered the celiac for me. It took me YEARS to discover the celiac. I always tease my boys that if it weren't for them I would be enjoying donuts with my coffee!!!

[MySuicidalTurtle]

You still had the disease, though. It's just that you didn't have reactions. You are better off knowing than not having symptoms and eating it.

[tarnalberry]

From the research I've read, no - she might not actually have had the disease. Not all genetic conditions are active from birth because not all genes are always expressed. You CAN go through some (or all) of your life with the genes that predispose you to getting the damage that is celiac disease, but not have them expressed, so that your immune system does not respond to gluten - hence you don't have the disease. You just have the genetic propensity to develop it.

[Guest gfinnebraska]

My understanding is the same as yours, Tiffany. Hence why I tease my sons! So far I am the only one in my family that has it. I hope it remains that way!!!

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I know we have talked about this before and I still go with that you always have it.

[celiac3270]

You still had the disease, though.  It's just that you didn't have reactions.  You are better off knowing than not having symptoms and eating it.

That doesn't mean she had the disease before. She had a predisposition to it, but it might never have developed into full-blown celiac. Certain things can trigger celiac disease, such as surgery or major stress....but it doesn't just bring out symptoms of a disease that was already there.

I know we have talked about this before and I still go with that you always have it.

Sorry, but I'm with Tiffany and Kimberly on this one. You do have to have certain genes to develop celiac: the HLA DQ2 or HLA DQ8..... Without these genes you cannot develop celiac disease under any circumstances, which is why in relatives of celiacs who do not have the gene, follow up testing is unnecessary. Anyway, my point is that the gene is always there, but the celiac disease is not.

Oh, Dr. Green also thinks so