Celiac And Lupus Relationship And Possible Mimickers

[Jen-1984]

Hi everyone, I wanted to tell you all about an article that I came across as I was researching dsDNA and celiac correlation. When I had my testing done for celiac disease, my dsDNA was also detected which is a marker for SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) but my neurologist, family doctor and several other second opinions later, they all say I do not have lupus because of the low titer range being 1:10 and I never get the rashes nor joint pain association. I have had seizure type activity, photophobia, neuropathies, and weak muscles that I surely thought was lupus, however I never have had all of the criterion and things just didnt quite add up. I also tested positive for the deamidated gliadin peptide igG (DGP IgG) which indicates celiac disease.

In doing research I found an article wriiten about a woman, Margaret Romero, who was diagnosed with lupus nephritis, and she found out that she had the genes for gluten intolerance. Her story is pretty remarkable and I wanted to ask you guys if you have heard of her before and what you think about her story. I will attach a link but I am not sure what the rules are for posting for links, but here it is, I hope that you can read it and see her success. Open Original Shared Link

I also found this study for those with lupus like symptoms and even diagnosis which turned out to be gluten sensitivity. Open Original Shared Link I am not saying this is EVERY case because everyone is different. I think for learning and knowledge purposes it can be very informative. It also may offer some of us relief. I wonder if celiac really can be mistaken for lupus? Has this ever happened to anyone here? Thanks in advance and I really hope that it is okay that I am giving these links for others to read.

[nvsmom]

Interesting links. I'm glad you posted them.

I suspect SLE could be a possibility for me, and I am waiting (and waiting) to see a rhuemy about it. I did not have a positive dsDNA, or any other antiautobodies that are normally screened for lupus. My only blood work was positive ANA titres (1:160) years ago but my recent one was considered negative (1:80). My SLE-like symptoms include arthritic joint pain that occurred on and off since my early 20's, ITP (thrombocytopenia), headaches, hair loss, fatigue, and a blush/rash over my cheeks and nose (but I also have some roseacea so it's hard to tell where that ends and the rash begins). I have a some neuropathy too but I think it's from a bad back.

So, I have some symptoms of SLE, and they actually got quite bad with a "flare-up" after I had been gluten-free for about 2 months, but now the symptoms are disappearing. I have less symptoms now than I did 9 months ago and I have no idea if it is just because this autoimmune problem (possible SLE) is waning or if it's because I have been gluten-free for 6 months or if it's because my hypothyroidism treatment is getting closer to optimal range.

It's possible that celiac disease is gave me Lupus like symptoms. I never experienced an immediate change in my SLE-like symptoms after consuming gluten except for my headaches; those seemed to happen a few hours after gluten. The arthitic like pain, face rash, and pain seem unrelated to gluten as far as I can tell. I know that my hair loss is related to gluten consumption because I started getting a lot of regrowth after eating gluten-free for a couple of months but then when I had an SLE like flare, it fell out again so it is linked to a couple of causes... Darn it... My problem is staying patient so I can give it enough time to be able to tell what is what! LOL