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The Different Types of Celiac Disease
Yvonne (Vonnie) Mostat, RN posted an article in Autumn 2022 Issue
Celiac.com 11/11/2022 - You are either diagnosed with celiac disease, are gluten sensitive, or perhaps you have latent or silent celiac disease, which may mean that you seem to have few or even no health problems at all, yet you sill are a celiac. Latent and silent celiac disease seem to occur more often in adults, but they can also affect children as well. Did you know that there are several types of celiac disease, and experts don't always agree on how to deal with each type? Researchers Now Recognize Several Types of Celiac Disease: Classic Celiac Disease This version manifests with the classical GI symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and possible vomiting, which can also cause dehydration, dizziness, and lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This type of celiac disease is usually the easiest form to diagnose. People in this category will end up having positive blood antibody and endoscopy (biopsy) test results for celiac disease, and all doctors should recommend that they go on a gluten-free diet for life. Atypical Celiac Disease People with atypical celiac disease generally do not have GI symptoms, but they may have other health issues, for example autoimmune thyroid problems, unexplained skin rashes, undefined bleeding, and/or nerve damage like ataxia. Those with this form of celiac disease can often go undiagnosed for years, and many have to go from doctor to doctor before they finally get the proper tests done and get diagnosed. Those in this category will end up having positive blood antibody and endoscopy (biopsy) test results for celiac disease, and all doctors should recommend that they go on a gluten-free diet for life. Asymptomatic Celiac Disease or Silent Celiac Disease This category is also a form of atypical celiac disease, and it is categorized by those who have little or no symptoms, but it can still affect different parts of their body. Since celiac disease, in any form is a skin, gut, and brain/nerve disease, it can often be difficult to diagnose silent or asymptomatic celiac disease, and it is often found by accident while running other medical tests. Some may have abnormal liver tests, or low iron and/or B12 or other nutrient levels, and even though they may not have any symptoms they will still have various levels of villous atrophy of the small intestines. Many in this group are sent to numerous specialists, and end up having many medical tests done before discovering that they have celiac disease. Those in this group will end up having positive blood antibody and endoscopy (biopsy) test results for celiac disease, and all doctors should recommend that they go on a gluten-free diet for life. Silent or asymptomatic celiac disease tends to be the most difficult form of celiac disease to diagnose, and many in this category are totally surprised at the time of their diagnosis, and can often be skeptical about needing to go on a gluten-free diet. A minority of doctors may even tell silent celiac disease patients that a gluten-free diet is optional, however, all patients in this group should go gluten-free. Potential Celiac Disease or Latent Celiac Disease People in either of these groups may have positive blood tests for celiac disease yet a negative biopsy. Some experts believe that this may be an early stage of celiac disease, before the villi are damaged. Some doctors tell patients in this group that they do not need to be on a gluten-free diet, however, anyone who has abnormally high celiac disease antibody levels likely falls into the “non-celiac gluten sensitivity” (NCGS) category, and many experts agree that this could represent a pre-celiac disease stage, and if so it would be best to avoid uncomfortable symptoms and other possible related health issues, so people in this group should also consider going on a gluten-free diet for life. I used to feel very sorry for the atypical and silent celiac disease folks, but I stopped feeling so sorry for them because they usually don't have dermatitis herpetiformis, which I have, and my dermatitis herpetiformis symptoms can be horrible. While the some people in the asymptomatic or silent category may not want to go gluten-free, even though they should, I knew within twenty-four hours that I had been "bitten" with gluten because my dermatitis herpetiformis sores would itch and drive me crazy, but at least I knew I had ingested gluten. Whenever this happens I'm in for a tough itchy time for a ten day period, and need to use Dapsone for the itch and Atarax to help eliminate me continually scratching my scalp, arms and thighs. A big warning to those with potential celiac disease and latent celiac disease: If you continue ingesting gluten, one day you may be surprised that you have graduated to the classic form of celiac disease and end up with malabsorption issues and a host of related health issues, perhaps even dermatitis herpetiformis. Again, many experts agree that patients in these groups should remain gluten-free, which may help some to escape getting full blown celiac disease, while allowing others to avoid the many issues that can be associated with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.- 3 comments
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- asymptomatic celiac disease
- atypical celiac disease
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So I was diagnosed with " Severe Celiacs disease " last year, but I was told nothing was seen in biopsy and I haven't done blood work yet, the only thing that indicated Celiacs was the damage done to my villi.... before I was diagnosed I was very sick I couldn't eat at all, like throwing up, diarrhea, chest pain, neurological problems and headaches, thought I had cancer. Ok skip forward, I've been on this gluten free diet since November of last year and decided to go ahead and cheat my diet, well I've been eating nothing but gluten for over a week and wasn't getting sick but now I'm starting to get chest pain, weird headaches and a little bit of an upset stomach... Is it possible I wasn't getting sick because I'm now I silent celiac even tho before symptoms were obvious, or could I have been misdiagnosed? Still haven't done blood work and nothing was in the biopsy, However my villi is damaged severely, is more positive I'm sensitive to gluten and the damage of the villi is caused by something else? Please help me, I'm so frustrated with my body because of all this and even more frustrated I wasn't getting sick before but now I think I am.
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Celiac.com 05/13/2009 - People with silent celiac disease, those who test positive for celiac disease antibodies, yet show no clinical signs of the disease itself, do not face a higher risk for developing malignant cancers, according to results of a recent Finnish study. Previous studies done in the 1970s and 1980s indicated that patients with clinically recognized celiac disease face a higher risk for developing malignancies, Dr. Katri Kaukinen, of the University of Tampere, Finland, told reporters from Reuters Health. However, she explained, "it has not been known whether apparently clinically silent unrecognized cases also carry an increased risk of celiac disease-related complications, and thus whether the healthcare system should recognize and treat." In an effort to answer that question, Dr. Kaukinen led team of researchers in assessing whether adults with previously unrecognized screening-identified evidence of celiac disease have an increased risk of malignancies. Recent screening figures put the prevalence of celiac disease somewhere between 1% and 2% of the population, which means from 7 to 14 million Europeans with gluten intolerance. 75% to 90% of all the celiac disease remains undiagnosed due to absent or atypical symptoms. The team examined data from a Finnish population-based adult-representative cohort of 8000 subjects compiled from 1978 to 1980. In 2001, the researchers screened blood samples of people with no history of celiac disease or any malignancy (n = 6849) for immunoglobulin A (IgA) class tissue transglutaminase antibodies. They further screened positive samples for IgA class tissue transglutaminase antibodies (Celikey tTG) and for IgA endomysial antibodies (EMA). The team analyzed a total of 6849 blood samples. 565 samples showed positive Eu-tTG results. 202 of these subjects showed positive Celikey tTG results ((2.9%) while 73 showed positive EMA screens (1.1%). Just over 10% of the study subjects, a total of 694 participants, developed malignancies during the period of the study. Overall malignancy risk was no higher for celiac autoantibody-positive subjects. Adjusted for age and sex, the results showed that the relative risks were 0.91 for those who were Celikey tTG positive, and 0.67 and for those who were EMA positive. According to Dr. Kaukinen, the results seem to support the current clinical approach, and suggests that "earlier diagnosis of the disease through serological mass screening would not be beneficial in improving the prognosis of celiac disease as regards malignancies." However, before completely ruling out mass screening, Dr Kaukinen noted that it is important to pursue "further prognostic studies [on] mortality and fractures among earlier unrecognized celiac disease cases," as "[t]hese issues should be also addressed" before any official decisions are made regarding the use of mass blood screening for celiac disease. Gut 2009; 58:643-647.
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