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Blood Work Showed No Food Allergies...can I Still Have celiac disease?

lauraned

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lauraned Newbie
lauraned
Posted

Hello everyone! I am a 20-year old female with severe psoriasis, an autoimmune disease which affects the skin. I actually went on a gluten-free diet last June for about three months to try to help improve my psoriasis and noticed an improvement in my skin by the end of the summer (I also had lost some weight too which was a nice bonus). Unfortunately, I started eating gluten again by the end of August as I started another semester of college and had a difficult time maintaining the gluten-free lifestyle. My psoriasis is now the worst I've seen it in quite awhile. I'm not sure if it is because of the dietary change or the fact that winter always makes my psoriasis flare.

Anyways, for the last two weeks I have been having some gastrointestinal issues and have been wondering if they could be attributed to Celiac Disease. I've experienced upper abdominal pain (usually on the left side), bloating/gas, constant burping, and occasional diarrhea. The symptoms are varied and are usually worst after I eat. I have always had a slightly irregular menstrual cycle, usually getting my period every 6 weeks instead of 4. Strangely though it has been at least 8 weeks since I've gotten my last period (I'm not pregnant, just fyi).

I went to see a doctor last week and they ordered an ultrasound on my gallbladder and also some blood work to test for food allergies. I was also prescribed Prilosec, but decided not to start taking it yet. Today I called to find out the results of my tests and found that I don't have any issues with my gallbladder and no food allergies. Can I still be diagnosed with celiac disease if I am not allergic to gluten? I know there is some difference between the two, but maybe someone can explain it better than my current understanding. I just feel like all the signs point to celiac disease, but I am not sure if I should bring it up with my doctor at my next appointment to ask to have the blood test done for Celiac.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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mommida Enthusiast
mommida
Posted

Celiac is an auto-immune disease, not an allergy.

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

Celiac is an auto-immune disease, not an allergy.

....and is often associated with psoriasis.

You may wish to read about Celiac disease so you understand that it is not an allergy and how it is diagnosed.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/1108/1/Celiac-Disease-Screening/Page1.html

burdee Enthusiast
burdee
Posted

Hello everyone! I am a 20-year old female with severe psoriasis, an autoimmune disease which affects the skin. I actually went on a gluten-free diet last June for about three months to try to help improve my psoriasis and noticed an improvement in my skin by the end of the summer (I also had lost some weight too which was a nice bonus). Unfortunately, I started eating gluten again by the end of August as I started another semester of college and had a difficult time maintaining the gluten-free lifestyle. My psoriasis is now the worst I've seen it in quite awhile. I'm not sure if it is because of the dietary change or the fact that winter always makes my psoriasis flare.

Anyways, for the last two weeks I have been having some gastrointestinal issues and have been wondering if they could be attributed to Celiac Disease. I've experienced upper abdominal pain (usually on the left side), bloating/gas, constant burping, and occasional diarrhea. The symptoms are varied and are usually worst after I eat. I have always had a slightly irregular menstrual cycle, usually getting my period every 6 weeks instead of 4. Strangely though it has been at least 8 weeks since I've gotten my last period (I'm not pregnant, just fyi).

I went to see a doctor last week and they ordered an ultrasound on my gallbladder and also some blood work to test for food allergies. I was also prescribed Prilosec, but decided not to start taking it yet. Today I called to find out the results of my tests and found that I don't have any issues with my gallbladder and no food allergies. Can I still be diagnosed with celiac disease if I am not allergic to gluten? I know there is some difference between the two, but maybe someone can explain it better than my current understanding. I just feel like all the signs point to celiac disease, but I am not sure if I should bring it up with my doctor at my next appointment to ask to have the blood test done for Celiac.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Which blood test were you given? (RAST? ELISA?) Did it look for IgG or IgA mediated allergies? Those are delayed reaction allergies which are common among people with celiac disease. Some tests only look for IgE mediated allergies, which are anaphylactic and immediate, not delayed reaction like gluten intolerance.

BTW allergies do involve an immune reaction because antibodies are created. Only intolerances, like lactose intolerance, which involves an enzyme deficiency, don't involve the immune system. Gluten intolerance is actually a misnomer, because the immune system mediates reactions to gluten.

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Hi, welcome to the board. you might want to read up on dermatitis herpetiformis on this site. It is an auto-immune skin condition that some people with celiac get. It often flares when people eat gluten. If you do have DH, they would test for it by taking a biopsy of the skin next to a lesion.

There are certainly some symptoms you describe that fit celiac disease. It makes sense to me to get the celiac antibodies tests done. Your improvement on gluten-free diet is a big indicator. Be aware though that the celiac antibodie tests are not 100% accurate, and fairly often give false negative results

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