Generic Medical Question - Allergies

[bluelotus]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone has read anything about allergies in people with celiac disease. Based on my experience and reading the experiences of others in this forum, it seems that we may be more suceptible to allergies than the general population. Is this b/c our immune systmes are somewhat compromised (that is, if we haven't been gluten-free for very long)? Has anyone ever had an allergy early on (after being diagnosed with celiac disease) only to have it disappear later?

And what about lactose? I know that some people become unable to digest it early on with celiac disease. Has anyone ever healed enough to tolerate it again? Why does this happen? I'm wondering if the bacteria in our intestinal tracts somehow better themselves after the diet change and we can handle lactose again, or if, upon healing, we begin, again, to produce the enzyme to break down lactose. I have spoken to a doctor and a nurse (not as a patient, these were family friends) and they could not give me any answers.

Just curious.....figured someone out there has got to know these things.

Thanks for the help!

[tarnalberry]

The deal with lactose is the following:

Humans produce lactase, and enzyme that breaks lactose (the milk sugar, which is a di-saccharide) into it's two simple sugars. It's produced at the tips of the villi in the intestines. The ability to produce significant quantities of lactase after the baby years is genetically determined, and varies from person to person. But if the villi tips are damaged, it can't be produced anyway. As the villi heal, your body begins to produce what lactase it can, but it never produces as much as it did when you were a small child. The amount wanes over the years, but may not wane enough to be noticable for standard dairy consumption.

(This is, of course, totally separate from an intolerance or allergy to casein, the milk protein. That just sucks... I miss cheese. :-P)

[nettiebeads]

  bobcatgirl said:

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone has read anything about allergies in people with celiac disease.  Based on my experience and reading the experiences of others in this forum, it seems that we may be more suceptible to allergies than the general population.  Is this b/c our immune systmes are somewhat compromised (that is, if we haven't been gluten-free for very long)?  Has anyone ever had an allergy early on (after being diagnosed with celiac disease) only to have it disappear later? 

And what about lactose?  I know that some people become unable to digest it early on with celiac disease.  Has anyone ever healed enough to tolerate it again?  Why does this happen?  I'm wondering if the bacteria in our intestinal tracts somehow better themselves after the diet change and we can handle lactose again, or if, upon healing, we begin, again, to produce the enzyme to break down lactose.  I have spoken to a doctor and a nurse (not as a patient, these were family friends) and they could not give me any answers. 

Just curious.....figured someone out there has got to know these things.

Thanks for the help!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hmm, I think that this is a subject worth some serious persuing. I appreciate tarnalberry's explaination of lactose intolerence, why and why you can ingest it later, which is what happened to me. And as she pointed out, I still can't eat lots of yellow cheese and I'm not as much of a milk drinker as I was. And did you know that people from northern climates develop more lactase than those from tropical and subtropical climates? I was sick for only 6 wks before my gp dx celiac disease, so I was able to tolerate cheese in small quantities after about 3 months. But I have had food allergies since I was a child, but none have disappeared. As a matter of fact, some have gotten worse with age - red wine and champagne trigger immediate reactions now. My other food allergies are still there, some not as severe (peas and eggplant), others are the same -raw egg yolk and fat from poultry.

[bluelotus]

I appreciate your response and you putting some thought into my question(s), as I do tarnalberry. I am hoping to have a general physical in the next month or so, maybe I can find a decent doctor and he/she will be able to answer this question regarding general allergies. (I've been so angry and disappointed with dr.'s in the past and their lack of knowledge ...... not too sure that they are entirely to blame though). I will post any info I come across and would appreciate it if others would do the same. I guess it all comes down to me hoping that my corn/dairy/egg allergies will disappear someday and hoping the same for others.

[Claire]

  bobcatgirl said:

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone has read anything about allergies in people with celiac disease.  Based on my experience and reading the experiences of others in this forum, it seems that we may be more suceptible to allergies than the general population.  Is this b/c our immune systmes are somewhat compromised (that is, if we haven't been gluten-free for very long)?  Has anyone ever had an allergy early on (after being diagnosed with celiac disease) only to have it disappear later? 

And what about lactose?  I know that some people become unable to digest it early on with celiac disease.  Has anyone ever healed enough to tolerate it again?  Why does this happen?  I'm wondering if the bacteria in our intestinal tracts somehow better themselves after the diet change and we can handle lactose again, or if, upon healing, we begin, again, to produce the enzyme to break down lactose.  I have spoken to a doctor and a nurse (not as a patient, these were family friends) and they could not give me any answers. 

Just curious.....figured someone out there has got to know these things.

Thanks for the help!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are getting lots of good responses here but i will throw in my two cents worth also. You may find that you, like many lactose intolerant people, can eat aged cheese - e.g. cheddar. The older the better. Also you can purchase unpasteurized cheese. You will be amazed to find that these give you little if any problem. The Swiss unpasteurized is a good place to start. These cheeses definitely cost more and you have to search them out. Whole Foods usually carries a good selection. The reason that unpasteurized cheese can be tolerated is this: in times past the pasteurization process did not exceed the 110 degrees that is the highest temp. that can be used before emzyme destruction takes place. 104 degrees was the standard. Then greed set in. 104 degress takes time and time is money. Manufacturers decided to speed up the process by increasing the temperature. 145 degrees is now commonly used for pasteurizing milk. At that temperature all natural enzymes - including lactose - are killed. Babies get a tummy ache and we have an epidemic of lactose intolerant people. Simply put milk used to come with the ingredients to aid the digestion - now it doesn't. Claire

[specialdiets]

  bobcatgirl said:

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone has read anything about allergies in people with celiac disease.  Based on my experience and reading the experiences of others in this forum, it seems that we may be more suceptible to allergies than the general population.  Is this b/c our immune systmes are somewhat compromised (that is, if we haven't been gluten-free for very long)?  Has anyone ever had an allergy early on (after being diagnosed with celiac disease) only to have it disappear later? 

And what about lactose?  I know that some people become unable to digest it early on with celiac disease.  Has anyone ever healed enough to tolerate it again?  Why does this happen?  I'm wondering if the bacteria in our intestinal tracts somehow better themselves after the diet change and we can handle lactose again, or if, upon healing, we begin, again, to produce the enzyme to break down lactose.  I have spoken to a doctor and a nurse (not as a patient, these were family friends) and they could not give me any answers. 

Just curious.....figured someone out there has got to know these things.

Thanks for the help!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My allergist stated that people with bowel conditions like Celiac Disease and Crohn's are more likely to get multiple food allergies. The injury to the bowel makes it difficult to digest many different proteins, which pass undigested through the gastrointestinal tract. Over time the body will develop an immune response to these foods. It is common to have egg and milk allergies along with celiac disease. Even if you become gluten-free, chances are the allergies are permanent or may require an extensive period of time (like years) for the bowel to heal and possibly eat those foods again. She also said that even if the villi heal, damage to other parts of the bowel or body may be permanent depending on how bad the celiac disease had been prior to treatment.

There is information regarding these related food conditions at Open Original Shared Link

I have been blood tested and enterolab tested for yeast, milk, egg allergies + celiac disease and both tests confirmed it.

Sunni

[skoki-mom]

Not sure, but I suffer from hayfever and have for years. I was skin tested about 15 years ago and found I am allergic to every species of tree and grass that grows around here, plus the usual pollens,molds, and dust mites etc. I am also extremely sensitive to fur-bearing critters, I can hardly breathe in the presence of a dog. I am also allergic to a lot of perfumes and I have trouble with itching eyes with a lot of eyeshadows, but I'm fine with most eyeliners and mascaras. I've also developed a sensitivity to raw fruits that have a pit in the centre over about the last 7-8 years. That one really scares me because I'm afraid it could go from hives on my lips to full on anaphalyxis one day.

The thing that I find very ironic is that I have no "classic" symptoms of celiac disease....the only thing I could find that related to me was that I am prone to cancre sores (mouth ulcers) and would have a breakout of 2-3 sores maybe 3-4 times a year. I also don't have any apparent intolerance to lactose. My skin testing was negative for both casein and whey. Apparently I was lactose intolerant as an infant, and I don't drink milk because I just don't like it. However, I eat other dairy products quite liberally and have never had an upset stomach by it.

Just goes to show how different we all are. Given the rather heinous state of my villi (as in, I had none!!) you'd have thought I'd have had some sort of GI symptoms!

[bluelotus]

Thanks to you all for the replies - things are starting to make a bit more sense. I just wish that these allergies would go away after our systems healed and that we weren't at greater risks of developing more, even after going gluten-free. Right after I started my diet, I was fine with all foods except gluten....then I started reacting to milk (2 months + after going gluten-free).....then eggs (5+ months)......now corn (7+ months). What next? My ankles have been bothering me and I know that sore joints can be a symptom of a nightshade allergy........fun.

That enterolab link was great. I am going to see a new general physican tomorrow for my thyroid check and will bring in a print out. I never had a biopsy done (just blood test and one relative with positive biopsy results), so a gene scan or stool check would be good to have on record.

Thanks again for the great input. If anyone else would like to share their experiences with allergies, I'd like to hear them....guess I am holding out hope that I won't become allergic to soy, rice, and potatoes next!! Ugh!

[Nevadan]

This is mostly in response to skoki mom's reply above. She reported having skin tests done but mentions intollerances. As I understand things these days (and that changes daily), the skin tests are related IgE responses which are different from IgA responses usually associated with intollerance/sensitivity(even the med profession can't agree on this), but IgE responses are usually what are considered "allergies" and are quick reacting and don't involve auto-immune responses in which the body attacks itself while IgA reactions are more likely to be delayed responses and often involve autoimmune responses.

I was tested by Enterolab and found to be IgA casein sensitive which was a surprise to me until I eliminated casein and observed after a couple of weeks that a rather painful splitting of the skin on my fingertips disappeared. It reappears after a few days each time I consume casein. I have no GI symptoms related to casein. I had always figured that casein or lactose would show up in the GI tract.

Hope this helps with the puzzle we are all trying to solve.

George

[nogluten-]

Allergy testing is definately worth it. I found I was allergic to casein, nuts,eggs, soy, corn and chocolate, in addition to gluten. Also, if you have IgA deficiency you might have more allergies than other people. Even while taking strong Crohn's medicines I was very sick until I figured out what else I'm allergic to. Good luck and hang in there. It will get easier.

[bluelotus]

I went to my doctor (general physician) - he didn't even know how to spell celiac....scary. But, at least he admitted his ignorance and refered me to an allergist, who I will see on Monday. Do you all have any advice on suggested tests? Would a skin test be able to pick up the fact that I can't digest certain proteins (like corn)? Or is that more for a histamine (sp?) rxn? I am really confused on how the inability to digest milk/egg/corn would be classified - allergy or intolerance? If its an intolerance (gastero problem), then I am wondering if an allergist would even be able to determine foods that bother me or if I'd have to see a gasteroenterologist (sp?). Any help/insight is appreciated!

[tarnalberry]

Skin tests only pick up histamine reactions (IgE reactions). IgG blood tests are required for food intolerances. Allergies are instances where the body reacts to the food substance itself via the IgE pathway. Intolerances come in two forms - IgG immune responses and the inability to digest the item (usually due to a missing/deficient enzyme) as in the case of lactose and fructose.

[skbird]

I have a problem with nightshades, though I never noticed joint pain with them (I know many people with arthritis avoid nightshades for this reason). I instead get sick, much like a gluten reaction. After researching it I found my reaction is much like the one people get when they eat green potatoes. I found this out by calling the poison control center. The guy was incredulous that having a little water from a tomato slice on my plate mix in with my food was enough to make me sick.

I was kind of hoping this would go away when I went gluten free but it doesn't seem to have. I did try making a brownie mix with gluten free mix but potato starch in it and while they were FREAKIN' DELICIOUS, I started having sharp stomach pains. (It was the Arrowhead Mills brownie mix - was on sale at my Grocery Outlet for $.79 a box! I think it's around $4 a box at the health food store). Anyway, I am not game to test myself further than that with nightshades anymore.

I also hoped my shellfish allergy would resolve - not officially tested but it affects my mouth and throat and stomach within 30 mins of eating so I figure it must be an allergy. No luck there, and then I found shellfish is another kind of reaction that wouldn't improve with elimination of gluten.

In fact, it doesn't seem any of my intolerances have improved much, except I can tolerate more sugar and I can eat rice now, whereas that used to make me feel like I'd had about 10 cups of caffeinated coffee. But I'm not actually sure now that I ever had any intestinal damage from gluten.

Anyway, I do wonder sometimes if I have more allergies/intolerances because I am sensitive and notice them more, or if I am just more suceptable. Dunno. Glad to see others here who have similar experiences - I feel less a freak! (not that there's anything wrong with being a freak...)

Stephanie - who's flying her freak flag

[bluelotus]

  tarnalberry said:

Skin tests only pick up histamine reactions (IgE reactions).  IgG blood tests are required for food intolerances.  Allergies are instances where the body reacts to the food substance itself via the IgE pathway.  Intolerances come in two forms - IgG immune responses and the inability to digest the item (usually due to a missing/deficient enzyme) as in the case of lactose and fructose.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So, do allergists deal with IgG intolerances at all (meaning, do they test for these)? And for an IgG test, I am assuming that I would still need to be eating the bothersome food(s)? - Think they would need to wheel me in on a bed if I ate milk or eggs prior to going in........I get so sick, I can hardly stand. I wish there were a few tests out there that could be done without you having to eat the suspicious food. It seems unfair. I know there is that stool test at enterolab, but hoping for others...........Someone mentioned an ELISA (think that's right) blood test under a different topic a while back. It sounded as if that was an food intolerance blood test. Sorry, guess I could always look this stuff up online, but in the hour that it would take me to find sufficent info, it might only take someone who knows 5 minutes to type. Thanks again!

[bluelotus]

Had my allergy test (skin test) today and was lucky in that I am not allergic to any of the 24 foods/food groups tested. I am now being sent to a gastroenterologist to determine food intolerances, though I have no idea how they plan on doing this. I am just lucky I have health insurance, otherwise the bill for the skin test would have been around $700!! Crazy.....