Q1 I’ve got what?
A condition not a disease. and it’s either
Coeliac, Celiac, Sprue or Dermatitis Herpetitformis. Don’t worry about the disease part of the name that’s how it was identified along time ago. In the UK, the word disease helps sufferers because the National Health Service allows food to be prescribed to people with diseases But not conditions!
Q2 How many people are like me?
Several studies suggest that between 1 in 200 and 1 in 300 people of Northern European extraction have coeliac disease. Research shows that this may be as high as 1 in 122 individuals in Northern Ireland There is also evidence that suggests that the incidence of coeliac disease in children is declining whilst in adults it is increasing!
Q3 How did I Catch it?
You didn’t it’s not a disease remember! There is evidence of a genetic predisposition to developing it and that it can be triggered, in susceptible people, by an environmental event
The introduction of gluten to the diet during weaning may have an influence.
Q4 What happens if I eat gluten?
The reaction may vary between suffers some feel fine for a while, others feel sick or may suffer diahorea. Without a doubt you will become ill again! Ongoing damage to the intestinal lining, due to the presence of gluten, also increases the need for continuing tissue repair. This, in turn, substantially increases the risk of several cancers of the intestine. The presence of gluten in the bloodstream also increases the likelihood of gluten sensitivity being manifested elsewhere than in the intestines, such as the skin (e.g. dermatitis herpetiformis) and rarely, the nervous system
Q5
What is the latest on the oats question?
There was a Finnish study on patients
with CD that had been eating oats.
The study compared their
intestinal biopsies after six months
with CD patients on a regular GF
diet. Note that in this case GF
has a different meaning, because
they allow wheat starch as part of the
GF diet there.
Codex
Amlimentarius The same
percentage in both groups still had
intestinal damage, and the two groups
had similar symptoms. There have
also been a couple of other
studies in Sweden and Denmark,
confirming these findings.
However, we need to consider a couple of things. In the
study they used a batch of oats
that was specifically grown for the
study. These oats were examined in
the field and it was verified that there
were no contaminating grains such as
barley or wheat also growing
there. These oats were then
specially milled and specially stored
for the study. Finally, these oats
were tested using the most sensitive
methods available for any wheat
contamination.
So unless you can get a hold of a batch of oats as pure as
that used in the Finnish study, oats are probably not safe for coeliacs.
Q6 Can I drink
Alcohol?
No, if it is whiskey, Gin,
Vodka, or beers and lagers, because
these come from a gluten grain.
Rum, Brandy, Wines and Ciders are fine.
Alcohol itself probably does not bring
on the damage associated with CD,
and may even suppress some of the
symptoms by making you feel "good"
(Drunk!). Remember during distillation gluten should have been eliminated, but malt whiskey has the malt re-added. vs. single/double malt. The vodka you buy at the 'super' isn't the original type of vodka...unless you shop in Moscow!
PS. Certainly not if your
a Kid !
Q7 What is Lymphoma ?
Lymphoma is one of the
complications. It is a cancer of
the lymphocytes, which are the
same cells that attack gluten and your
body, causing the intestinal damage.
Those cells are growing and dividing at
an accelerated rate to fight off the
gluten, and then something
triggers one to turn into a lymphoma.
It is rare in treated
coeliacs, but it does happen. It
is like smoking and lung cancer; the
longer you've stopped smoking the less
chance you have of getting lung cancer.
The longer a coeliac has been GF with a
healed small intestine, the lower the
chance of getting lymphoma. After
20 years on a GF diet your chances of
getting lymphoma are very small.
If a child is diagnosed with CD and
sticks to a lifelong GF diet, the
odds of getting lymphoma are probably
the same as for the non-coeliac
population.
Q8 Can you have dermatitis
herpetiformis (DH) without having CD?
If you have DH, then you
have an intestinal sensitivity to
gluten. If you eat gluten,
you will have some damage to your
intestine. That damage may become
more significant as you get older.
Disclaimer:
The answers to questions posed here were
found from the internet. No liability is
assumed. Individuals should consult
their Doctor or Dieticians
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