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

You can get just about anything-itis from gluten.  -itis simply means
inflammation, not necessarily a specific disease.  When -itis is added at
the end of a medical word that names a body part, it simply means that body
part is inflammed.  Symptoms of inflammation can manifest as one or more of
the following:  pain, redness, swelling, itching, seeping fluid, etc.

Typical names for inflammed body parts:  enteritis (intestines), gastritis
(stomach), dermatitis (skin), gingivitis (gums), vaginitis (vagina),
cervisitis (cervix), cystitis (bladder), meningitis (membranes around the
brain), fibrositis (fibrous tissues tendons & ligaments), sinusitis
(sinuses), encephalitis (brain), iritis (iris), hepatitis (liver), nephritis
(kidney), etc.  The inflammation can be from any cause: gluten reaction,
other autoimmune reactions, allergic reactions, disease condition,
infection, trauma, etc.  (A slap in the face causes cheek-itis! ha ha!)

Some words with -itis at the end are specific diseases such as infectious
hepatitis, cystitis, meningitis, but often an -itis word is simply a
descriptive term to identify where the owie is.  So when a doctor diagnoses
dermatitis, it may sound impressive, but it really doesn't do anything other
than identify where & roughly what the symptoms are, not necessarily the
cause.  If a doctor tells you that you have gastritis, that just means a
stomach ache!  (Thanks doc, for that $100 word! ha ha ha!)

In celiac disease gluten triggers a reaction that can attack many different
body tissues.  The pattern can vary from individual to individual.  I had
chronic gingivitis & chronic cervicitis for 3 or 4 years before I went GF.
Both cleared up w/i a few weeks after I started the GF diet.

Valerie in Tacoma

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