Could My 3 Month Old Have Celiac Disease?

[alainagros]

I have a 3 month old son that was born at a normal weight and other than a bout of viral meningitis at 4 days old, is relatively healthy. He has severe reflux, he doesn't spit up, the pediatrician explained that the formula comes back up and just sits in his esophogaus, and it burns for him. He was on Nutramigen, which is gluten-free, for about 2 months, and was gaining weight at a steady pace and staying in the 50th percentile. 3 weeks ago, we switched him back to Enfamil Lipil (the Nutramigen was supposed to help the refulux and keep him off of medicine, but since he had to be on medicine anyway, we put him back on the Lipil). Well since he's been on the Lipil, he hasn't gained a single ounce and has fallen to the 10th percentile for his weight. His pediatrician suggested that it may be Celiac disease causing the failure to thrive. Does this sound right? Should I push for him to be tested? I'm not sure what the tests consists of, so I don't want to put him through unnecessary pain (if there is any) if this doesn't sound like Celiac disease. Help!!

**He also has eczema

[KristaleeJane]

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[ravenwoodglass]

Your son's history mirrors my sons. He also had menigitis at under a month old. You could ask for a blood test but do be aware that at his age the likelyhood of a false negative is high. I would get the blood test done while he is still on the formula that seems linked to the issue and then unless you are going to put him through the endoscopy I would get back onto the gluten-free formula no matter what the test results.

[alainagros]

I really don't want to put him through the endoscopy, so I want to switch him back to the gluten-free formula to see if it makes a difference. But at the same time, I want to know NOW if gluten-free has to be his lifestyle or not, you know? I don't just want to guess about it right now, and as he gets older, if he eats anything with gluten, I don't want him to have problems. We go back to the gastrologist Tuesday for a weight check, I guess I'll have to see what he says.

[nora-n]

There was a mother with a small child that reacted very much to breast milk if hte mother was consuming gluten, and was fine when she ate gluten free. The older brother was celiac. But she did not manage to get a diagnosis (endoscopy). The baby did not thrive while she was eating gluten. Afterwards she thought she should have just kept the child off gluten, and not pursued a diagnosis.

It is not so easy to get a diagnosis under 8 months or 1 year.

In my opinion, just try to get a blood test and keep the baby off gluten afterwards.