If you have IBS, have you been tested for Celiac disease?IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion - or in every day terms: it is a catch-all for specific gastro symptoms that can't be classified as anything else. Doctors have ruled out more serious conditions like Crohn's and Colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease - "IBD"), cancers, and some infections. But more and more studies are indicating that those diagnosed with IBS should ensure that doctors have also done the appropriate tests to rule out Celiac disease.One literature review looked at the chance of people with the symptoms of IBS actually having IBD, colorectal cancer, or infectious diarrhea. 1 This literature search concluded that the likelihood of having one of those 3 conditions was less than 1%; however, in sharp contrast, people with an IBS diagnosis were 10 times more likely to have Celiac disease than the general population. The authors recommend at least performing blood tests to check for Celiac disease.In an actual trial, as opposed to a literature search, 105 people diagnosed with IBS and 105 controls were studied. 2 Interestingly, controls were chosen from siblings who had no symptoms. Blood tests were first performed on everyone in the study. If these were positive, a biopsy was done to confirm the diagnosis. Celiac disease was found in 12 of the IBS patients (over 10%), but in none of the controls. The implications of this missed diagnosis are quite profound. People with a diagnosis of IBS are often resigned to gastro upset and will often stop pushing for a solution to their symptoms. More importantly, they will continue to eat gluten, and thus continue to damage the microvilli in the gut.1. Cash BD, Schoenfeld P, Chey WD. The utility of diagnostic tests in irritable bowel syndrome patients: a systematic review. Am J Gastroenterol. 2002 Nov;97(11):2812-9.2. Shahbazkhani B, Forootan M, Merat S, Akbari MR, Nasserimoghadam S, Vahedi H, Malekzadeh R. Coeliac disease presenting with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2003 Jul 15;18(2):231-5. http://www.wellnessfoods.ca/sec2_febNews.htm
people with an IBS diagnosis were 10 times more likely to have Celiac disease
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That is very interesting. I am on day four of a gluten-free diet. I'll keep you posted. I have had the blood test done several times for celiac disease but it has always come back negative. But a woman I met who has IBS-D removed wheat from her diet and she says she is as normal now as a person can be. So I thought I would give it a try.
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thats why you should make sure you have all the relavant tests before they diagnoise or you are happy with it... well not happy but you know what i mean
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make sure you hVE H.PYLORI too
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Chris, most of the processed foods which contain grain do have wheat in them; however, there are several substitutes which exist. For breads, there is spelt, kamut, and quinoise (spelling wrong I am sure), pastas come from above along with corn and rice. It does mean making alot of your own snack foods, sauces and soups; but a good natural foods store will have the raw and packaged products and there are lots of good bakeries around that will have spelt loaves. This will cost more; but, for those with the disease, it is an easy trade-off. Mark
Actually I meant to add this Lagomorph that you might need to be on a true gluten free diet for 3 months to see the full effect. Also apparently a gluten free diet by WHO standards is not truly gluten free-see article below. Find out what the standards are in your particular country before embarking on a gluten free diet to avoid pitfalls."Celiac Disease And Persistent Gastrointestinal SymptomsPeople with Celiac disease ("CD") sometimes still continue to experience gastro ("GI") symptoms – even after following a gluten free diet. 1,2,3 A group of Celiac adults who had been treated with a gluten free diet for a number of years were compared with healthy adults of the same age. “Subjects with CD reported significantly more GI symptoms than the general population sampleâ€, and in particular, women with CD had far more symptoms than the men – mainly indigestion, constipation, and abdominal pain. 2 Overall, the percent of patients who still had symptoms ranged from 10% to 43% depending on the study. However, the more time someone had been on a strict GF diet, the smaller the chance of continuing gastro symptoms.Some potential reasons for these continuing gastrointestinal symptoms might be:1. Many people are still consuming traces of gluten without even realising it. While “gluten free†standards differ from country to country, in the World Health Organisation/FAO Codex Alimentarius, foods containing up to 200 parts per million ("ppm") of gluten can still be called “Gluten Freeâ€. In a study where people who were on a diet with traces of gluten were switched to a truly gluten free diet, 23% of the group had a resolution of symptoms, with a reduction in symptoms in another 45%. 1 Given that almost 70% improved somewhat on a truly gluten free diet, it is easy to understand why the WHO regulation is currently under a lot of pressure to lower the required ppm count.2. People may have intolerances to other foods – the main culprits seem to be milk, lactose, and fructose. 3 In this study, those who did not fully respond to a truly gluten free diet were placed on an elimination diet. The majority of people experienced improvements in symptoms on this diet. 13. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, pancreatic insufficiency, or another underlying condition.1. Faulkner-Hogg KB, Selby WS, Loblay RH. Dietary analysis in symptomatic patients with coeliac disease on a gluten-free diet: the role of trace amounts of gluten and non-gluten food intolerances. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1999 Aug;34(8):784-9.2. Midhagen G, Hallert C. High rate of gastrointestinal symptoms in celiac patients living on a gluten-free diet: controlled study. Am J Gastroenterol. 2003 Sep;98(9):2023-6.3. Fine KD, Meyer RL, Lee EL The prevalence and causes of chronic diarrhea in patients with celiac sprue treated with a gluten-free diet. Gastroenterology. 1997 Jun;112(6):1830-8."
This has really good info on thisRome ll Irritable Bowel Syndrome: How far do you go in the Workup?Douglas A. Drossman, M.D.Professor of Medicine and PsychiatryCo-Director, UNC Center for Functional GI and Motility DisordersDivision of Digestive DiseasesUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hillhttp://www.romecriteria.org/reading1.html
eric, your article is outdated. The article discusses Wahnschaffe et al.Wahnschaffe U, Ullrich R, Riecken EO, Schulzke JD. Celiac disease-like abnormalities in a subgroup of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterol. 2001; [In press].It is a 2001 study and their criticism of it was patients did not satisfy Rome criteria.My article discusses http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...084&query_hl=23It is a more recent study and the patients satisfied Rome II criteriaAnd it gives a 10% chance of having Celiac in IBS patients. Your article gives a percentage of celiac in the general population.SIBO has also a 10-15% rate in IBS. I think if one out of ten experience each of these diseases, 20% experience one of them and your artcle seems to be saying that it it may be necessary to do celiac tests if predominance is diarrhea and it just dismisses SIBO. Very puzzling.
Thanks everyone for the great info. Bonnie, I will give it a long trial if I can. Eric, I haven't had a chance to read the entire article you posted, but I'm part way through it. And Chris gluten is in almost everything. But we have some great grocery stores with many gluten-free products. I just want to try this and if it works, great and if not, at least I tried it. I actually like most of the gf products I have bought and I've gained most of my weight back because I am eating so much more than before. But time will tell. Keep the info. coming guys, I like having lots it.
Hi Lagomorph you might want to read my response to eric's article. Further eric's article says celiac should be tested only in diarrhea predominant IBS. The article below based on Univ of Iowa Survey says "Many patients had alternating diarrhea and constipation, both of which were responsive to the gluten-free diet."http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...1613&query_hl=1eric what is your response? As usual you disappear from the radar when you can't answer.Lagomorph, BTW what are your symptoms? Glad you are not getting overwhelmed with the info.
I did read your response and I had read something similar to that article before. I am a somewhat more mature student and I love learning. Going back to school a little later in life than most people just makes me enjoy university so much more. My symptoms were diarrhea, gas, and bloating. But I was only really concerned about the diarrhea. I'm speaking in past tense because I feel so great on my new gf diet. I'm sure some of it may be mental. But I barely have any gas or bloating and I ate something with a wrong ingredient and had loose stools yesterday. I am in the science field and my logical side tells me that it is too early to notice any differences from this gf diet. I am simply hopeful, and just plain curious.
Oh no, you can have a resolution in a few days even though the mean is 4 weeks and the range is up to 3 months for complete resolution"Diarrhea responded in most patients, usually within days, and the mean time to resolution was 4 wk." fromhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...1613&query_hl=1If you have D the chances are more that you have celiac. Not that you do.
I also have not had much sleep lately, which would usually make me irritable. But I have been energetic and very happy, even though I am tired. My husband has noticed I am happier. But this could be simply the lack of unexpected D. I also have almost no abdominal discomfort.
I think test results can change from year to year. My doctor orders many tests for me every year, and every year they are negative. But she seems to think that the tests may change one day. I'm not complaining, many people don't even have a helpful doctor.
I have alternating IBS C/D. I had blood tests for celiac disease and tested positive to one of the antibodies. I think there are 3. My gastro said the gold standard for diagnosing celiac disease is a biopsy and I had this and it was negative so it rules celiac disease out.I sort of thought I wouldnt have it as it would be almost to easy (its pretty treatable w/diet changes)
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