Heart Palpatations/Shortness Of Breath

[kampingal]

Hi,

I have many symptoms of celiac and am going to be tested in a couple of weeks. Curious if anyone has seen any research of a symptom or heart palpatations or shortness of breath as well as temporary blindness?

Also, is it common to have normal CBC blood tests and no signs of inflamation in blood tests but still have this problem?

I have had blood tests several times over the past few years for these heart and fatique problems, no labido, joint pain, constipation, etc. but the tests always come back normal or almost normal. My iron levels are always low but "not low enough to cause concern" they always say. Still in the normal range.

Thanks!

Kathy

[gfreemomthecook]

Hi Kathy,

I'm hoping to get information about too much weight loss for my 20 yr. old son (new on the Celiac diet), but I noticed your post. He has had such shortness of breath and palpitations and our doc thinks it is the loss of magnesium. He has been given Atenolol for the symptoms, but my son does not want any meds. His Thyroid is inflamed too, which the doctor thinks may also be causing the palpitations. I just wonder when all of the toxins will be out of his body and things will settle. Good luck and I will be checking this sight to see if someone with experience will tell us what to expect from this!

gfreemomthecook

[Ellymay]

Hi Kathy

I am currently waiting for a biopsy to confirm celiac disease (having tested positive for antibodies). I have had shortness of breath for about 5 years as well as fatigue. The shortness of breath has almost totally cleared up after being diagnosed with B12 deficiency and having B12 injections. Shortness of breath is one of the B12 deficiency symptoms, along with fatigue. I think constipation can be too. B12 deficiency can be caused by celiac disease. I was borderline low in B12 but noticed a big improvement with injections. My gastroenterologist told me some people seem to need more than others and now we don't eat organ meats so much in out diet some people don't get enough for their needs despite registering within the 'normal' range. By the way taking large quantities of folic acid can mask a deficiency of B12.

Hope your tests prove helpful.

Eleanor

Hi,

I have many symptoms of celiac and am going to be tested in a couple of weeks. Curious if anyone has seen any research of a symptom or heart palpatations or shortness of breath as well as temporary blindness?

Also, is it common to have normal CBC blood tests and no signs of inflamation in blood tests but still have this problem?

I have had blood tests several times over the past few years for these heart and fatique problems, no labido, joint pain, constipation, etc. but the tests always come back normal or almost normal. My iron levels are always low but "not low enough to cause concern" they always say. Still in the normal range.

Thanks!

Kathy

[MaryJones2]

Have you had your thyroid and iron stores checked (ferritin, etc. not just hemoglobin from the CBC)? I associate those symptoms with anemia or hypothyroidism.

[Roda]

I had the heart palps and shortness of breath and it was directly related to my ferritin being so low. I have just this past August gotten my ferritin level up enough for these symptoms to subside but I still need to get it up more. Two and a half years before diagnosis this caused me to go to the emergency dept twice and put on metoprolol.(didn't know about the ferritin issues then) It did not help and made me feel worse. It was the celiac that caused the ferritin problem. It is now nice to be able to do routine activities and not have symptoms. I am even tolerating exercise now.

[Korwyn]

Hi,

I have many symptoms of celiac and am going to be tested in a couple of weeks. Curious if anyone has seen any research of a symptom or heart palpatations or shortness of breath as well as temporary blindness?

Also, is it common to have normal CBC blood tests and no signs of inflamation in blood tests but still have this problem?

I have had blood tests several times over the past few years for these heart and fatique problems, no labido, joint pain, constipation, etc. but the tests always come back normal or almost normal. My iron levels are always low but "not low enough to cause concern" they always say. Still in the normal range.

Thanks!

Kathy

Angina is listed as a related symptom/condition in the 'Red Book'. Personally I experienced this repeatedly over the last 20+ years, starting when I was 20. I had classic heart attack symptoms (chest pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, racing heart, pain radiating into the lower jaw, neck, and left arm). I've had three cardiac workups, plus a cat scan. The last workup was a full stress test with the radioactive dye injection and 3d imaging of my heart. Everything (as always) came back normal. Since going gluten-free all of these symptoms disappeared. Completely. My CBC was always 'normal', though since I have learned to ask for a copy of my lab work it turns out that 'normal' was 'normal' only in the most technical sense. Some of my values (hemocrit especially) were consistently barely in the normal range. But they were "Normal". Since going gluten-free they have been creeping up into a better range. Stupid 'reference' values on lab work.

You need to ALWAYS ask for a copy of your lab work and research it yourself.

[gf-soph]

It's extremely common for people with celiac/gluten intolerance to have deficiencies that can make you very unwell.

As others have pointed out, some type of anaemia is a good place to look first. It can be related to low iron, B12 or folate. It is important to get all 3 checked thorougly as well as a full blood count. The blood count shows the red blood cell size which can differentiate between different types of anaemia. As someone else saud they can mask eachother, and with B12 vs folate it can be dangerous to mistakenly treat one kind of deficiency if the other is actually the problem.

I have been substantially B12 deficient, and quite low in iron at various times over the last couple of years. The iron tends to make me generally sluggish and sleepy, but the B12 causes me to feel very ill.

I also had shortness of breath and racing heart, this was related most strongly to B12 deficiency. It's not totally gone, but much better now with B12 supplements (following several courses of injections)

I'm not sure what sort of temporary blindness, but if it is worse when you stand up and is kind of like your vision fuzzing and then fading out for a while it could easily be related to anaemia as well, B12 in my case.

I would also stress that you should get a copy of the results and make your own conclusions about whether your levels are OK. Sometimes you need to listen more to your body than the test results. If you can, eat more iron rich foods, and consider a liquid iron supplement. They are a lot more gentle than tablets, and you can start on very low doses if needed.

Also be aware that when you supplement B12 after being low your blood levels can return to normal quickly, but your tissues may still be deficient for a while.

If you are low on B12 get on top of it as soon as you can, at low levels it can cause neurological damage. If you come up as very low on B12 you should be tested for pernicious anaemia. People with this condition can't absorb B12 properly from the digetive tract, so you would need regular injections.

Good luck!

Sophie