Hashimoto's And Celiac?

[adm07]

Hi!

I was just diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Someone said that if you already have an autoimmune disorder, then you're likely to have Celiac's. So I did some reasearch and found these symptoms on google:

Abdominal pain

Abdominal distention, bloating, gas, indigestion

Constipation

Decreased appetite (may also be increased or unchanged)

Diarrhea, chronic or occasional

Lactose intolerance (common upon diagnosis, usually goes away following treatment)

Nausea and vomiting

Stools that float, are foul smelling, bloody, or

[runningcrazy]

You can have celiacs without any symptoms at all.That doesnt mean it still cant do damage. That is a scary thought!

You would want to ask for the celiac panel:

Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) both IgA and IgG

Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) - IgA

Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) - IgA

Total IgA level.

Your doctor might not let you get the test because of no diarrhea, thats what they told my mom(some doctors are really uneducated about celiacs) , tell them many close relatives have been diagnosed and you were recomended to be tested.

Also, there is the chancce of a false negative. I had 3 negative tests, but i went gluten free and all my headaches went away, and my stomach aches are less(although right now i feel very nauseaus from rice pasta spaghetti...hmm) but i am so much better gluten free. and i went from 80lbs to 100!! so thats a plus!

We used enterolab to see if i was reacting to gluten. enterolab is an online order of stool and gene tests for multiple food intolerances. they are really great. i found out i was reacting to gluten, and slightly to casein(in dairy) and that i have the DQ8 gene which is most commonly associated with celiac.

[adm07]

Thanks for your reply!

So is it common for someone to have no symptoms AT ALL even during childhood and still suffer from this?

I'm thinking of getting the enterolab done but it just costs so much Do you know if insurance an cover it or part of it?

And congrats on your weight gain but that's the last thing I want lol I want to lose 20 lbs.

I dunno...I feel like I must have actual symptoms. I'm just super scared to have this.

Not everyone with hashimoto's has to have celiac's right?

[Roda]

Just because you have one doesn't mean you'll have the other. However that said, autoimmune diseases do tend to go together. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in 2000 after two miscarriages. I didn't have any problems until Feb. 2006. I started with a racing heartbeat, hair falling out and extreme fatigue. Then I started with heartburn. Several (I mean several) doctor visits later and not until Dec. of that year I found out I was anemic. All but the hearburn can be atribuited to that. I was told it was because I am female that was why I was anemic. I started seeing a really good endocrinologist and she tried to get my ferritin levels up without sucess and treated my thyroid. About 1.5 years later I asked her what she knew about celiac because no one could find a reason for the anemia and low ferritin. She did at least order the tTG (in hindsight wish I had all the panel done) and it was overwhelmingly positive. A month later I had biopsy confirmation. I have read articles that having hashimoto's is enough of a reason to get screened for celiac and vice versa. A good endocrinologist should know the connection and screen you for it and if necessary, refer you to a gi doc.

[Maggie Mermaid]

One of Dr. Mary Shomon's books on the Thyroid pointed out that there could be a correlation between Hashimoto's & being gluten-intolerant and/or celiac. I elected to go gluten-free after being diagnosed with Hashimoto's in addition to having an enlarged thyroid that they wanted to take out or treat with radiation. I only had a couple of the symptoms listed but I thought it was worth a try. It's been over a year & at the last checkup, the doctor said the thyroid wasn't getting any bigger. I can only hope that the trend continues. In your case, you might find that you feel better without the gluten products. It's possible that because of your age, you aren't as severely affected as an older person so you're not exhibiting those symptoms. Being gluten-free is alot less invasive approach than even taking drugs.

[daphniela]

You won't always gain weight after going gluten free. I have been losing 1-2 pounds a week since gluten free. I still have 20 more to go and hopefully my weight loss stops when I get to my goal weight.

[satindoll77054]

You are right about having to lie about it being hereditary; so that, the  doctor will test you.  I had to. When the blood tests came back for Hashimoto's and one other autoimmune disease, he referred me to some female endocrinologist. I don't like to go to female doctors. So, I went to a top notch Rheumatologist. He did further testing and found that the other autoimmune disease is Celiac. He treated me with B vitamens, folic acid tablets and some meds to help get my system back in order. He also sent me to Imaging for many tests that showed problems with my organs.  Then, he told me to see some specialists regarding my diseased lungs, life-threatening Hiatal Hernia, spots on my brain, moderate to severe arthritis, and my throat was closing up.  I had to have surgery to open it back up.  My small intestine was devoid of villia (small hair like structures that absorb vitamens and minerals in the small intestine].  He put me on a gluten free diet and now I feel myself again.   My vocal cords became paralyzed and I am currently seeing a vocal cord specialist. Also, my nails developed fungal infections and my eyebrows disappeared. Most of my hair fell out and this straw-like hair grew in it's place. These two diseases together can become monsters to people like me. I am 68 years old.