Paper Cut! Am I Glutened?

[MariaOfColumbia]

I just got an impressive paper cut while opening the mail at work. This was right on the edged of the gummed area, and I almost certainly got a few molecules of the gummed stuff inside the bloody cut.

Is this enough to provoke an immune reaction? Not that it really matters, though. I've already managed to gluten myself today anyway. But in theory, is opening the mail something I should be a tad more wary of?

[psawyer]

You are probably okay. We have all heard the tales about gluten in the adhesive, but in over ten years I have never found a documented instance of this actually being the case. I consider it an urban myth.

[MariaOfColumbia]

Well, if the cut heals terribly, then we'll know my immune system is attacking the area visciously.

I wonder how the body knows where the gluten is coming from, anyway, when it attacks the villi? Maybe from its point of view, it's obvious that the gut is the source of the contamination.

I wonder if gluten introduced in a cut would provoke a response in that area? If gluten is so horrible that one's villi must be damaged to keep it out, then you'd thing a cut would be just as scary.

[Gemini]

Well, if the cut heals terribly, then we'll know my immune system is attacking the area visciously.

I wonder how the body knows where the gluten is coming from, anyway, when it attacks the villi? Maybe from its point of view, it's obvious that the gut is the source of the contamination.

I wonder if gluten introduced in a cut would provoke a response in that area? If gluten is so horrible that one's villi must be damaged to keep it out, then you'd thing a cut would be just as scary.

For an autoimmune reaction to occur, you absolutely have to ingest gluten into your GI tract. It happens no other way so you are safe from a paper cut, even those which occur from a gummed area. As Peter stated, the gluten in the envelope gum is an urban myth. If a cut heals slowly or with a lot of inflammation, it's most likely from germs or from not cleaning the wound properly.

You may want to read Dr. Peter Green's book, Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic. It is one of the best books out there which describes this disease, in easy to read language, and how the whole process works. It ought to be required reading for all Celiacs.

[MariaOfColumbia]

I've got it on reserve at my local library now, thanks. It ought to become available soon. Looks like there are 2 editions out there.

[lovegrov]

A paper cut absolutely is NOT a threat.

richard

[Gemini]

I've got it on reserve at my local library now, thanks. It ought to become available soon. Looks like there are 2 editions out there.

The second edition of the book is just an updated version. I bought both books and found there was little that was really new in the second edition.

Both are excellent reads and highly informative for those with Celiac......not boring, either!

[Ciglee]

seriously? NO.... you can not get glutened from a paper cut. I advise you not to read these posts...there are a lot of hysterical people on here...they want to be

diagnosed with celiac sooooo badly...I guess they just need a disease...instead of realizing that maybe they shouldn't eat such crap. Stay calm..and carry on...

[T.H.]

For an autoimmune reaction to occur, you absolutely have to ingest gluten into your GI tract.

That...might not actually be true. To get intestinal damage, oh heck yeah. But there are studies recently on those with celiac disease who have neurological damage, and some of that damage actually seesd to be caused by anti-ganglioside antibodies. The theory I have heard is that gluten in the bloodstream due to a more permeable gut can, in some celiacs, trigger other antibodies to attack other parts of the body, like the anti-ganglioside antibodies do.

(an abstract of one of the studies on anti-gangliosides:

Open Original Shared Link )

I do not know if gluten in the bloodstream that enters outside of the gut would be an issue, but from what I'm reading, it sounds like more and more they are starting to suspect that gluten contact with other bodily systems is triggering something that is different than that of gluten contacting the GI tract.

Not something I'd worry much about with a paper cut, though, I wouldn't imagine, especially if one doesn't have neurological symptoms.

As Peter stated, the gluten in the envelope gum is an urban myth.

I do have an acquaintance who tested a foreign made greeting card with a home gluten test kit, and the glue tested positive for gluten, so it can happen. I don't think it's common, though.

However, heh...maybe we should be more concerned about the paper:

Seriously...can't we just make stuff out of mud and leave it at that?

[modiddly16]

As annoying and sometimes surprisingly painful a papercut may be, you're not at risk for glutening yourself by one. Here's hoping you heal safely!