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62 Years Young - Could I Have Celiac Disease?

Michaelyn

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Michaelyn Newbie
Michaelyn
Posted

Hi, all,

I've learned alot on this website. I am 62 yrs young.... had pollen/cat allergies all my life, prickly skin (never thought much about it), am now on thyroid medication, generally have loose stools (again, didn't think much about it), sometimes restless leg syndrom..... But for the past year or so (after a very stressful time in my life), I would occasionally get hives which would come and go. Now have very itchy skin. No hives, just hot red spots that itch. Skin testing evealed sensitivity to soy, corn, and sesame, blood test said I am allergic to pork.... I still eat these foods and cannot find a definite link to my itchy skin. Was diagnosed with dermagraphia (sp??). I take an over the counter antihistamine which helps a lot. No gastric problems (only heart burn twice)... nothing on-going. My (non-blood related) nephew was diagnosed with Celiac disease at age 10, so I am not sure if I could be this age and have celiac disease. I have two blood relatives with celiac disease, however, and my mom and aunt were diabetics.... Need an opinion from someone.... is it worth being tested for this disease? Could my now, almost constant itchy skin be related to Celiac disease?

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Hi, all,

I've learned alot on this website. I am 62 yrs young.... had pollen/cat allergies all my life, prickly skin (never thought much about it), am now on thyroid medication, generally have loose stools (again, didn't think much about it), sometimes restless leg syndrom..... But for the past year or so (after a very stressful time in my life), I would occasionally get hives which would come and go. Now have very itchy skin. No hives, just hot red spots that itch. Skin testing evealed sensitivity to soy, corn, and sesame, blood test said I am allergic to pork.... I still eat these foods and cannot find a definite link to my itchy skin. Was diagnosed with dermagraphia (sp??). I take an over the counter antihistamine which helps a lot. No gastric problems (only heart burn twice)... nothing on-going. My (non-blood related) nephew was diagnosed with Celiac disease at age 10, so I am not sure if I could be this age and have celiac disease. I have two blood relatives with celiac disease, however, and my mom and aunt were diabetics.... Need an opinion from someone.... is it worth being tested for this disease? Could my now, almost constant itchy skin be related to Celiac disease?

Yes it is worth getting tested. You skin issue could be DH, the skin form of celiac. A derm could biopsy the skin next to a lesion to test for it. If you have DH you have celiac even if you don't have GI issues. Don't go gluten free until all testing is done but try the diet no matter what the test results.

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

HI,

Celiac is not defined by any particular age. That used to be the thinking but not anymore. They used to think only children got celiac, and then outgrew it also. Anyone, any age can get celiac disease. Well, pretty much, it does help to have the genes for it. But there are people without the main genes who still have celiac. So, yes, you could have it. Blood relatives of a known celiac have a higher chance of it a also. The celiac panel is a series of blood antibody tests you could take. You need to keep eating gluten until all testing is done, or the results are no good.

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

But remember the tests are not 100% so even if you do not test positive, you could have Celiac or Gluten Sensitivity. So if you are trying for the testing, yeah stay on gluten, but if you test negative give it a 3 month gluten free trial to see what if any of your symptoms clear up. People come on here all the time at your age and find out that they have Celiac. 90% are undiagnosed, so it makes sense that one can find out at any age.

It's worth a try. I was amazed at all the things that cleared up on going gluten free, including allergies and I have the skin form of Celiac DH. It presented as hive-like welts and bites for a number of years before it blistered. I'm 49 and healthy for the first time in my life. Good luck...I hope you find it helps being gluten free. Some people forego testing so they can go gluten free and find out sooner if it is a problem for them. But it is well worth it whether you do testing or just go gluten free if gluten is contributing to your problems.

rosetapper23 Explorer
rosetapper23
Posted

My mother was diagnosed when she was 68! She had experienced a lifetime of allergy problems (which cleared up after going gluten free) and other medical issues, and now she is healthy and happy at the age of 76.

Funny--I also have dermatographia! I just assumed that it was yet another auto-immune disorder that befell me because of celiac. You may, in fact, have Dermatitis Herpetiformis, as well. I also have that, but I don't consider it as related to the dermatographia.

All the advice you've received so far is spot on--welcome to the celiac club!

MitziG Enthusiast
MitziG
Posted

Definitely get thorough testing asap. With celiacs in your family tree, your chances of having it are higher than normal.

Do NOT go gluten free until all tests, including endoscopy, are done. Going gluten-free now will cause a false negative test result.

After the tests, regardless of the results, try the diet for several months, strictly. You will likely find some relief.

Welcome to the boards. Take some time to look around!

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

When I asked my PCP to have me tested for celiac disease, I was 45. He told me that it was a rare childhood disease, but if I wanted the test he would order it. (I had been a patient for about 30 years, so I was not some crazy arriving with a theory.) Well, it turns out that 45 was not too old. We have members here who were diagnosed in their sixties. It is never to late to find the truth.

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cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

Hi ~ 62 is not too old. I was diagnosed two years ago at age 59. You should definitely get tested, especially if you have a diagnosed relative. I strongly believe that my mom passed away from undiagnosed/unteated Celiac. Don't take chances, get tested. And if your doctor is opposed - get someone else! Celiac knows no age limits.

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      Okay well the info about TTG-A actually makes a lot of sense and I wish the PA had explained that to me. But yes, I would assume I would have intestinal damage from eating a lot of gluten for 32 years while having all these symptoms. As far as avoiding gluten foods - I was definitely not doing that. Bread, pasta, quesadillas (with flour tortillas) and crackers are my 4 favorite foods and I ate at least one of those things multiple times a day e.g. breakfast with eggs and toast, a cheese quesadilla for lunch, and pasta for dinner, and crackers and cheese as a before bed snack. I'm not even kidding.  I'm not really big on sugar, so I don't really do sweets. I don't have any of those conditions.  I am not sure if I have the genes or not. When the geneticist did my genetic testing for EDS this year, I didn't think to ask for him to request the celiac genes so they didn't test for them, unfortunately.  I guess another expectation I had is  that if gluten was the issue, the gluten-free diet would make me feel better, and I'm 3 months in and that hasn't been the case. I am being very careful and reading every label because I didn't want to screw this up and have to do gluten-free for longer than necessary if I end up not having celiac. I'm literally checking everything, even tea and anything else prepacked like caramel dip. Honestly its making me anxious 😅
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