<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

<<Gluten sensitivity appears to be the trigger for most autoimmune diseases.
This is why children over in Italy are being screened at age 7.  The
Italians have well known this.>>

If the Italians *really* knew this, they'd be screening prior to age 2 via
stool testing (b/c blood testing isn't as sensitive and will miss many).

Two seems to be the magic age by which gluten needs to be removed from a
gluten intolerant persons diet to avoid any risk of the gluten intolerance
issue triggering other autoimmune disorders.

It was based on this info, that my gastro and Dr. Fine encouraged me to test
my then 19mo old daughter.......even though her peds and the U of MD doc said
to wait till 5 or 6 - unless she developed symptoms first.

Made no sense to me to wait till she developed symptoms (ie why wait for a
heart attack to find out if you have heart disease....) so we went ahead and
tested.  Sure enough.....producing antibodies and carrying 1 copy of the
HLA-DQ2 gene.  Went GF the day that I mailed off the stool sample.

While she technically had 'no symptoms', this child who was *extremely*
sensitive and emotional and had 1-2 very severe colds/chest
congestion/constant runny nose etc per month became very even keeled and
has not had a cold since she went gluten free, 7 months ago.  Imagine that.
 Not

*one* illness through the entire cold/flu season.

My motto?  Test *everyone*.......*early*

katherine in atl